To understand the reality of the country
Between 1954 and 1975, and the end of the war, literature followed two radically different currents of thought. On the one hand, the south of the country was influenced by Western culture. On the other hand, the north was controlled by the Central Committee of the Communist Party and the Ministry of Culture: literature therefore served the ideology of the government. In order to publish, a writer must be a member of the Writers' Union, which is a state association. This was the case until the end of the 1980s. Indeed at this period, the country is opening up(Đổi mới) and letters and arts are allowed more flexibility, letting authors tackle some hitherto sensitive topics.
The winning quartet
Duong Thu Huong (born in 1947), Nguyên Huy Thiêp (born in 1950), Bao Ninh (born in 1952) and Pham Thi Hoài (born in 1960) are undoubtedly among the great contemporary Vietnamese authors. All four embody the literary renaissance that took place in the 1980s. As everyone knows, the Vietnam War (1964-1975) has left its mark on people's minds and is often seen in the background. Duong Thu Huong, novelist and political dissident is THE face of Vietnamese literature. She embodies this new generation and wrote her first novel in 1986, Love Story Told Before Dawn. A year later, her second novel Beyond Illusions was published with 100,000 copies and made her a key figure in the literary scene. Her subsequent works were equally successful. In Les Paradis aveugles (1989), Duong Thu Huong attacks the political system while describing daily life in Vietnam. In Untitled Novel, she describes the war through the eyes of Vietnamese soldiers who were fighting against communism. Other works include Terre des oubliis (2006), nominated for the Prix Femina, and Au Zénith, a novel written over ten years, not to mention Les Collines d'eucalyptus, published in 2014. Duong Thu Huong lives in Paris. Nguyên Huy Thiêp has published collections of short stories such as Un général à la retraite (1990), L'or et le feu (2002) and Mademoiselle Sinh et autres nouvelles (2010). He has also given plays(Les démons vivent parmi nous, 1996) and a novel published in 2005, À nos vingt ans, banned in Vietnam.
As for Bao Ninh, he is particularly known for his only novel The Sorrow of War (1987). He enlisted in the Vietnam War at the age of 17 and was one of only ten survivors of the 27th Glorious Youth Brigade. In this book, he tells the story of a Vietnamese soldier's return. Banned by the communist regime of Vietnam, this story has been a worldwide success.
Finally, Pham Thi Hoài, also born in the midst of the Vietnam conflict, enjoyed success with her first novel, The Crystal Messenger, published in 1991. The latter was also banned by the Vietnamese government, but has been translated in several countries and even received the Frankfurt Literaturpreis.
These four names have given way to a new generation, one that was born during the war, but grew up afterwards, in the era of globalization. Yet the war is still there, somewhere in the background, echoing, and it must be said that this generation no longer has any ideals or even landmarks. Lost illusions, so to speak... Let's mention for example Nguyên Viet Hà who published An Opportunity for God in 1999, a novel in which four young people, finding themselves in a moral and material impasse, take refuge in alcohol, money and exile. We must also mention Do Kh (born in 1956) who wrote, for example, Saigon Samedi, a delightful novel which tells the story of the escape of a student and a soldier in the Saigon of summer 1975.
The new feathers
If several generations dreamed of communism as an egalitarian society, for a few years now, globalization has changed mentalities, dreams and even landscapes. Hanoi is a new Paris or a new New York, the big western brands have settled there; young people dream of elsewhere, travel and study abroad. New writers evoke this contemporary Vietnam through novels, short stories or poems. For example, Thuân, who studied in Moscow, has settled in Paris. She has written five novels, including Made in Viêt Nam (2002), T. a disparu (2006) and Vân Vy (2008). Her writing is contemporary, very pleasant and much appreciated by readers. In 2008, she received the highest distinction in Vietnamese literature: the Writers' Union Prize!
Bubble side
One of the most renowned comic book authors, Vink has lived in Belgium since 1969. Born in central Vietnam in 1950, he distinguished himself for his series Le Moine fou (The Mad Monk), whose first album was published by Dargaud in 1984. Note also the illustrations of Clément Baloup, born in France in 1978 of a French mother and a Vietnamese father. Immigration is one of his favorite themes and Vietnam is the subject of eight graphic novels. For example, in Mémoire de Viet Kieu, the artist traces the exile of Vietnamese settled in France, the United States or Taiwan. There is also Une si jolie petite guerre. Saigon 1961-1963 by Marcelino Truong (b. 1957), a graphic novel in which the author recalls his childhood in Saigon. In Give peace a chance, released in 2015, he recounts the life of his family in Europe during the Vietnam War. The author mixes both family chronicle and history, his testimonies are particularly moving.
It is clear that Vietnam is still marked by its history. Between those who lived through the war, those who lived through the post-war period, those who still carry the weight of this past through family wounds, the authors still testify and the mixture of yesterday and today is obvious. Don't forget to visit the Temple of Literature in the old city of Hanoi built in 1070 by Emperor Ly Tong as a tribute to Confucius. This intellectual and spiritual center, which became the first national university in the 15th century, is particularly grandiose. This enchanting place leaves unforgettable memories..
