Longings
Contemporary Fiction by Vietnamese Women Writers
Texas A & M University Press
Published on 19. March 2024
Book
Paperback/Softback
288 pages
978-1-68283-206-6 (ISBN)
Description
While mainstream Vietnamese history chronicles a few woman warriors of the past and some contemporary female activists, Vietnamese women always have performed their roles in the quiet shadows of men. To illuminate those shadows, Quan Manh Ha and Quynh H. Vo have brought into English the first anthology of its kind, featuring twenty-two contemporary stories written by Vietnamese women whose narratives make visible the multitudinous lives of Vietnamese women over the last two decades.
All the stories in Longings appear in English for the first time, inviting new readers to appreciate the "Longings" or aspirations of Vietnamese women as they have had to face suffering and struggle, hope and despair, sorrow and joy, while navigating an uncharted course through the social and economic waves that have lifted or lowered their lives since the US-Vietnam normalization in the mid-1990s.
The wife in Da Ngan's "The Innermost Feelings of White Pillows" suppresses sexual frustration at her husband's impotence by stuffing her pillows with new fibers. The rural women in Tran Thuy Mai's "Green Plums" have no choice but to become prostitutes to earn a living. The mother in Pham Thi Phong Diep's "Mother and Son" demonstrates an unconditional sacrifice and ineffable love for her adopted son despite his insolence and ingratitude. A woman in Nguyen Thi Chau Giang's "Late Moon" violates all prescribed gender norms in order to live freely.
Longings brings together stories by both well-established and emerging Vietnamese writers, those who come from various regions in Vietnam and represent the diversity and richness in Vietnamese short fiction. This anthology expands the audience for deserving authors and broadens perspective on the heterogeneous voices, narrative styles, and thematic interests of women who contribute to the growing corpus of contemporary Vietnamese short fiction.
All the stories in Longings appear in English for the first time, inviting new readers to appreciate the "Longings" or aspirations of Vietnamese women as they have had to face suffering and struggle, hope and despair, sorrow and joy, while navigating an uncharted course through the social and economic waves that have lifted or lowered their lives since the US-Vietnam normalization in the mid-1990s.
The wife in Da Ngan's "The Innermost Feelings of White Pillows" suppresses sexual frustration at her husband's impotence by stuffing her pillows with new fibers. The rural women in Tran Thuy Mai's "Green Plums" have no choice but to become prostitutes to earn a living. The mother in Pham Thi Phong Diep's "Mother and Son" demonstrates an unconditional sacrifice and ineffable love for her adopted son despite his insolence and ingratitude. A woman in Nguyen Thi Chau Giang's "Late Moon" violates all prescribed gender norms in order to live freely.
Longings brings together stories by both well-established and emerging Vietnamese writers, those who come from various regions in Vietnam and represent the diversity and richness in Vietnamese short fiction. This anthology expands the audience for deserving authors and broadens perspective on the heterogeneous voices, narrative styles, and thematic interests of women who contribute to the growing corpus of contemporary Vietnamese short fiction.
Reviews / Votes
"These stories by Vietnamese women carry us into their unique lives and challenges now that the Vietnam War is over. In this collection of their voices, gathered from across the nation, one listens to their stories of love and loss. Reading them is much like sitting in a family courtyard in the evening and hearing a woman's voice singing a family tale, all of it carried to us in English by careful translators."-John;Balaban, translator of Ca Dao Vi?t Nam and Spring Essence: The Poetry of H? Xuan H??ng "Illustrating a vast range of female yearnings shackled by entrenched sexism, capitalism, geopolitics, and ecological instability, this anthology meticulously records gendered states of physical and metaphysical absence to voice a timeless, sobering argument: a society can call itself enlightened only when its treatment of women, who form a large segment of the human race, is considered universally just and equitable.";-Thuy Dinh, bilingual critic and editor, Asymptote (journal) and Da Mau (magazine)"Expertly translated, these wide-ranging stories invite us into the heart of communities who comprise today's Vietnam, from north to south, from mountains to coast, from rainforest to town and city. An excellent introduction to contemporary Vietnamese fiction.";-Timothy Allen, translator of Nguy?n Du's The Song of Ki?u
"Longings: Contemporary Fiction by Vietnamese Women Writers is an important book.;.;.;. There are certain themes and topics that do emerge numerous times within the book, particularly romantic love, prostitution, Confucian notions of filial piety, and one's search for meaning in the world. Yet, the conclusions or impressions one can glean about these subjects occasionally contradict or oppose one another, which makes for a particularly rich reading experience.;.;.;. This breadth of subject matter in;Longings;is impressive, but the variety of represented regions within Vietnam might be even more significant. The editors have done an excellent job finding representation from all areas, including rural and urban settings. Whether it's a southern island, a northwest farming village, or a Central Highlands forest, the rural settings all suggest a certain timelessness.;.;.;. Longings;allows readers to engage in the construction of collective knowledge, understanding and, ultimately, empathy." -Paul Christiansen, Saigoneer, May 2024
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
College Station
United States
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
462 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-68283-206-6 (9781682832066)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Longings
Contemporary Fiction by Vietnamese Women Writers
E-Book
03/2024
Naval Institute Press
€9.49
Available for download
Persons
Quan Manh Ha is a professor of American Literature & Ethnic Studies at the University of Montana. His research interests include multiethnic US literature, Vietnam War literature, and literary translation. He is translator of Other Moons: Vietnamese Stories of the American War and Its Aftermath, Luminous Nights: Pioneering Vietnamese Short Stories, and, with Cab Tran, has translated B?o Ninh's Hanoi at Midnight: Stories (Texas Tech UP, 2023).
Quynh H. Vo is a professorial lecturer of Asia, Pacific, and Diaspora Studies at American University in Washington, DC, where she teaches and researches transnational Asian and Asian American literature and culture. As a bilingual writer and educator, Dr. Vo has published work in Vietnamese and English languages.
Quynh H. Vo is a professorial lecturer of Asia, Pacific, and Diaspora Studies at American University in Washington, DC, where she teaches and researches transnational Asian and Asian American literature and culture. As a bilingual writer and educator, Dr. Vo has published work in Vietnamese and English languages.