The Song of Kieu (Penguin Classics, £8.99; Tablet price £8.09), by Nguyen Du (1766-1820), ably translated in verse by Timothy Allen, is considered Vietnam’s greatest literary masterpiece, a picaresque adventure reminiscent of Defoe and Richardson written in a poetic style, “ancient, priceless /bamboo-rolled, perfumed with musty spices”. Kieu, daughter of a penurious mandarin and hoping to redeem the family fortune, sells herself to a rich man who puts her into a brothel. She escapes and gets into all kinds of adventures, surviving by her wits and her beautiful voice.