Our Authors and Translators
Uyên Nguyễn
Uyên Nguyễn is a historian of modern Vietnam, with a strong interest in modern Vietnamese literature. She holds a PhD in History from the University of California, Berkeley and is currently Lecturer in the College of Humanities and Sciences and Department of History, National University of Singapore.
Uyên’s current research project examines the communist takeovers of previously French-controlled cities in North Vietnam and the political and socio-cultural transformations that took place during the first four years after Ho Chi Minh’s government gained total control of the North (1954–1958).
Major Books Works:
Crossroads and Lampposts (Những ngã tư và những cột đèn)
Uyên Nguyễn
Translator
Uyên Nguyễn is a historian of modern Vietnam, with a...
Vũ Đình Giang
Vũ Đình Giang is a Vietnamese novelist. He was born in Tiền Giang Province, and graduated with a Bachelor of Graphic Design from the Faculty of Industrial Fine Arts at Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture. In 2000, he won the Fourth Prize in the second installment of the Literature in its 20s (Văn Học Tuổi 20) contest. He currently lives and works in Ho Chi Minh City.
Giang’s debut novel, Song Song (Parallel), was first published in 2007 and republished in 2011. It is widely regarded as one of the best works of gay fiction in the Vietnamese language. The novel tells the story of two young men who fall in love in Ho Chi Minh City in the early 2000s, set against the backdrop of Vietnam’s rapidly changing social and economic landscape.Truly a gem in contemporary Vietnamese literature, the novel has been praised for its compassionate portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters, lyrical prose, and sharp social commentary. It deserves to be on par with the sexiest works of the most famous gay writers of the time.
Major Books Works:
Vũ Đình Giang
Author
Vũ Đình Giang is a Vietnamese novelist. He was born...
Vũ Trọng Phụng
Vũ Trọng Phụng (1912-1939) was a renowned Vietnamese writer and journalist, widely regarded as one of the most influential figures of 20th century Vietnamese literature. Despite his short lifespan of only 27 years, with only around 10 spent writing, Vũ Trọng Phụng left behind an astonishing body of works across genres, many of which are considered to be masterpieces.
Vũ Trọng Phụng’s works are known for their unflinching portrayal of Vietnamese society during the French colonial period. He was not afraid to tackle controversial subjects such as prostitution, poverty, and social injustice. The satirical portrayal of reality in his works, with sexually and politically provocative elements, has made both the author and his writings become the subject of close scrutiny, debate and controversy.
Deemed as “morally degraded” at the time, his writings led to his imprisonment in 1937. He never fully recovered from his time in prison, and he died at the age of 27, two years after being released for poor health.
Vũ Trọng Phụng’s works were censored and banned from publication in North Vietnam from 1954 and in the whole country from April 30, 1975; it was not until the late 1980s that they were finally allowed to be circulated by the Vietnamese government, rehabilitating his status as one of Vietnam’s most brilliant writers.
His first work to be translated into English was Số đỏ, translated by Peter Zinoman as “Dumb Luck”, and was named by the Los Angeles Times as one of the best books of 2003.
Major Books Works:
Vũ Trọng Phụng
Author
Vũ Trọng Phụng (1912-1939) was a renowned Vietnamese writer and...