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Floating Lives
The first collection of short stories in English by the award-winning Vietnamese writer Nguyen Ngoc Tu (b. 1976). The longest and most controversial story in the collection, "The Endless Field," was made into the excellent 2010 film titled "Floating Lives." That story, and the others in this collection, are emotionally rich, Chekhovian tales of Mekong Delta natives living economically poor but emotionally rich lives. Love, romance, regret, and the mystery of life permeate all the stories. The first story, "The End of a Season of Beauty," is the most magical, detailing two lovers who find each other about 40 years of separation. The set up of the story is very similar to Dustin Hoffman's new film, "Quartet." Many of these stories have already been translated and published in Japan, Korea, and Sweden, where they have received much praise. The Swedish critic Stefan Jonsson writes, "These are stories of the highest class, just as perfect and strict in form as a story by Chekhov, and often with the same kind of wistful images of how fate or chance knocks man to the ground.
172 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
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July 20, 2018
"Floating Lives" is a collection of stories from a young, controversial, and award-winning Vietnamese writer. The first and last stories in the collection -- "The End of a Season of Beauty" and "The Endless Field" -- stand out. The first story is simply beautiful, the story of lost lovers reuniting. Think Frank O'Connor or A.E. Coppard, or the Joyce of "Dubliners." "The Endless Field" is a tour de force and got the writer into hot water with the Vietnamese government for its unflinching portrayals of the sexual attitudes of the poor living in the Mekong Delta. If you like the fiction of the American South, you will like this story.
The other stories have their pleasures too, and will appeal to those interested in Southern Vietnamese culture. This may be one of the last works of contemporary literature published where people interact directly and meaningfully with each other w/o telephones, computers, or smartphones. As such the stories are unusually honest and human.
This translation was published in Indonesia. I got my copy from a reseller on Amazon, listed under the Vietnamese version ("Canh Dong Bat Tan") but clearly noted as an English translation.
"The Endless Field" was made into the excellent feature film "Floating Lives" in 2010.
The other stories have their pleasures too, and will appeal to those interested in Southern Vietnamese culture. This may be one of the last works of contemporary literature published where people interact directly and meaningfully with each other w/o telephones, computers, or smartphones. As such the stories are unusually honest and human.
This translation was published in Indonesia. I got my copy from a reseller on Amazon, listed under the Vietnamese version ("Canh Dong Bat Tan") but clearly noted as an English translation.
"The Endless Field" was made into the excellent feature film "Floating Lives" in 2010.
Displaying 1 of 1 review