Paying a last tribute to scholar on Vietnamese studies – N.I.Nikulin

A few weeks ago, meeting a delegation from Vietnamese Literature Institute o­n a business trip in Russia, he said he was fine and intended to write his memoirs.

I couldn’t close my eyes for the whole night. I had a feeling that there has gone away forever a great friend of Vietnam; a devoted and loyal person to Vietnamese literature and culture, colleagues and friends since the most difficult time; a great contributor to the establishment of Vietnamese studies in Russia, the education of many students from Vietnam, Russia and other countries; a researcher with hundreds of works of high academic values o­n Vietnamese Literature and Culture; a Russian top expert o­n world famous Vietnamese poet Nguyen Du ….

All my memories of 30 years knowing him returned and ceased at our last meeting in Moscow by this cold time last year.

On my first day in Moscow for an international conference, as usual, I phoned Nhikolai Ivanovich for an appointment to hand him books and letters of Vietnamese Literature Institute and his colleagues. He excitedly and friendly promised to pick me up at the door gate of the metro nearby his house at 9 a.m the following day.

Right when I came in his house, I heard a weak and worrying voice from inside:

- Kolia (lovely in short of Nhilolai Ivanovich)? Have you met him? Why is it so long?

That’s Mrs. Glebova.

I put some red carnations into the vase and brought it into her room. To my surprise, she was no longer a bright, energetic and especially humorous Glebova as I knew but a seriously ill and pale Glebova with totally blind eyes. She had lay motionless in the bed for 2 years and he was the o­nly o­ne who takes care of her.

He and I had a long discussion o­n what had been done and what to do in the coming time. As inspired by something, suddenly he took out a big tin box and showed me all his souvenirs of Vietnam including several very precious o­nes that he hoped to publicize o­ne day.

Then, he gave me the list of all his works o­n Vietnamese culture and literature.

We discussed quite long the research o­n Russian Classical Literature in Vietnam and vice versa. This is the joined work of the scientists from both Institutes that has been approved in Hanoi and is being amended for printing. He was the o­ne who proposed the thematical research and participated in it as a co-author.

Before saying goodbye, I laughed and said to him: “Nhikolai Ivanovich, you should write your memoirs. You are o­ne of the most important witnesses of history”.

He laughed and joked in very correct Vietnamese: “I think it’s still early, 73 years old, still young!”

I left without thinking that it was the last time I met my respectful professor and colleague.

At 10 a.m, not being able to wait longer, I phoned Tolia Sokolove – a student of Nikulin and my schoolmate in Russia. It was 6 a.m in Moscow.

Not to let me say “good morning” and sorry for waking him up so early, Tolia said in a voice choked with emotion:

- Nhilolai Ivanovich died! Died of heart attack.

I would like to write and write in very details for all Vietnamese readers to know there is such a Russian Vietnam lover who has contributed a lot to Vietnamese culture and literature. But in this great sorrow, I can’t. Fortunately, I have before me the book “ Vietnam literature and international exchanges” which is about his works selected by Nguyen Huu Son and published by the Education Publishing House in 2000.

May I convey my sincere thanks to the Education Publishing House and Associate Prof. Doctor Nguyen Huu Son for the timely delivery of this valuable book which I brought to Nikulin when it was just published. He did feel so moved for this. Without this book, probably we all feel regretful.