Roland Barthes was a major figure in the literary and philosophical history of the 20th century.
As one of the founders of French structuralism and semiotics, Roland Barthes' ideas have influenced the development of many theoretical schools, including structuralism, semiotics, social theory, and post-structuralism.
In 1970, after arriving in Japan under a cultural cooperation program, Roland Barthes wrote *The Empire of Signs *. In it, he explains his observations and the almost ubiquitous presence of signs in the daily lives of Japanese people in general and Tokyo in particular.
Book cover of "The Empire of Symbols" (Photo: Nha Nam).
In 1976, Roland Barthes was elected to the French Higher Institute of Learning (Collège de France) as a professor of Literary Semiotics. This was a special honor for Roland Barthes, and a recognition of his talent and contributions.
Roland Barthes is particularly renowned for developing and expanding the field of semiotics through his extensive analysis of symbolic systems, of which *The Empire of Symbols* is a prime example.
Many Roland Barthes scholars consider his signature work to be one of his masterpieces and a decisive turning point in his career.
According to Roland Barthes, Japan is the land of symbols and writing. The book's title can be interpreted as meaning that Japan is the land where symbols reign supreme, "taking control".
In *The Empire of Signs* , Roland Barthes paints a picture of Japan as a land of signs, codes, and conventions—elegant and beautiful, violent and empty—in every neighborhood, train station, shop, stage, or garden... through every face, stroke of writing, piece of tempura, game of pachinko...
A portrait of the artist Roland Barthes, taken in 1979 (Photo: Getty Images).
Furthermore, Roland Barthes is an enigmatic and elusive author. He himself strives to make his writings virtually indefinable.
Reading the writings of Roland Barthes means the reader is subjecting themselves to a labyrinth of language, in which meaning floats and drifts, impossible to grasp.
The Empire of Signs is a classic book that helps readers discover a great thinker of the 20th century, a semiotician, an important literary researcher and critic, and a man deeply committed to his time.
Roland Barthes (1915-1980) was a renowned French semiotician, post-structuralist, and literary critic. He is considered one of the founders of French structuralism and semiotics.
He lost his father when he was only one year old, spent his childhood with his mother at his maternal grandparents' house, and at the age of nine, he moved with his mother to Paris.
He showed a passion for theater, literature, and music from a very young age. His education was interrupted by tuberculosis, but this did not prevent him from striving to achieve a profound knowledge base and a high level of proficiency that surprised even the university community.
In 1976, Roland Barthes was elected to the French Higher School (Collège de France) as professor of literary semiotics, a position reserved exclusively for him.
More than 50 years after its initial release, the Vietnamese translation of Symbol Empire will be introduced to a wider audience in Vietnam.
On this occasion, Nha Nam and the French Institute are jointly organizing a seminar to launch the book "The Empire of Signs".
- Time : 9:30-11:00 AM, Saturday, December 23rd.
- Location : Nice Room 2, French Institute in Hanoi , 15 Thien Quang Street, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi.
With the participation of the following guests:
- Associate Professor, Doctor of Science, critic Do Lai Thuy.
- Pham Minh Quan, Deputy Director of the Institute of Cultural Anthropology.
- Dr. Nguyen Quyen, Literature Doctor.
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