Watermark
Vietnamese Poetry and Prose
Published on 19. March 1998
Book
Paperback/Softback
227 pages
978-1-889876-04-7 (ISBN)
Description
Here, the most innovative contemporary Vietnamese American writers explore thematic and stylistic territory previously overlooked in other collections, which have traditionally focused on the all-too-expected theme of war. Watermark lifts all constraints, leaving the works to reset the boundaries for themselves. And they do -- using poetry, fiction, and experimental forms to venture further into the fringes of the Vietnamese American psyche. There they find a dead dog and hockey puck, a frozen (literally) grandmother, a hairpiece, Gertrude Stein, and a stick of spearmint gum. Here fiction and poetry reflect and refract on adolescence and sexuality, language, death, and distance. The result is a sly, haunting, wry look at life anywhere.
Reviews / Votes
"Watermark is simply some of the best writing from a new generation of Vietnamese writers in America. Eloquent, poignant, funny -- the writing goes beyond war -- taking us into the towns and fields of America. This is the Vietnamese literature of the future, 'a taste of the pure, sea salt sadness of the outcast' (to paraphrase Monique T.D. Truong) made inclusive by the editors' uncommon and judicious selections." Russell Leong, Editor, UCLA Amerasia Journal "Vietnamese-American literature is young. Your can hardly tell it, though, from this collection of stories published by the Asian American Writers' Workshop in New York. Here is an array of diverse talents that surprise and delight. Keen observation or exuberant fancy. Gentle humor, urbane charm, or devilish wit. Real life or the magic of dreams. Read Watermark and treat yourself to some fiction that transcends mere documents of the Vietnamese-American experience." Huynh Sanh Thong, Publisher and General Editor, The Vietnam ReviewMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Philadelphia PA
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-889876-04-7 (9781889876047)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Barbara Tran was the recipient of a Cornell Woolrich scholarship at Columbia University, where she earned her M.F.A. A graduate of Yale College and Columbia University School of Law, Monique T. D. Truong is a writer and attorney in New York City. Luu Truong Khoi graduated from Harvard College and the Boston University Creative Writing Program. CONTRIBUTORS: Quang Bao, Lan Cao, Bao-Long Chu, Linh Dinh, Maura Donahue, Lan Duong, Lai Thanhha, Andrew Lam, Christian Langworthy, le thi diem thuy, Mong Lan, Bich Min Nguyen, Nguyen Qui Duc, Minh Duc Nguyen, Nguyen Ba Trac, Dao Strom, Barbara Tran, Diep Khac Tran, Truong Tran, Trinh T. Minh-ha, Monique T.D. Truong, Trac Vu, Thuong Vuong-Riddick
Content
1. from Live by water, die for water Huynh Sanh Thong 2. The Brochure Christian Langworthy 3. Up Over Boulder Hill Dao Strom 4. Letter to My Bed Linh Dinh 5. History Thuong Vuong-Riddick 6. Seeds Monique T. D. Truong 7. Slow Tribe Linh Dinh 8. Lost and Found Truong Tran 9. Sounding Sadec M?ng Lan 10. Nobody Knows Quang Bao 11. from Rosary Barbara Tran 12. A Pressing Romance Diep Khac Tran 13. Fritz Glatman Linh Dinh 14. Pre-Dahmer Trac Vu 15. Tale of Apricot Minh Duc Nguyen 16. Sestina Christian Langworthy 17. The White Horse Nguyen Ba Trac 18. Untitled le thi diem thuy 19. Big girl, Little girl le thi diem thuy 20. Chickens Dao Strom 21. from When You're Old Enough Maura Donohue 22. Show and Tell, Andrew Lam 23. The Dead Linh Dinh 24. Know by Heart Trinh T. Minh-ha 25. from Monkey Bridge Lan Cao 26. M.I.A. Bao-Long Chu 27. Grandma's Tales Andrew Lam 28. Sister Play Lan Duong 29. Night Shelter Nguyen Qui Duc 30. The Long Bien Bridge M?ng Lan 31. Golden Gate M?ng Lan 32. Prints Christian Langworthy 33. Western Music Linh Dinh 34. Auspicious Bich Minh Nguyen 35. Placing the Accents Truong Tran 36. Mango Christian Langworthy 37. Recipe 3 Truong Tran 38. Recipe 5 Truong Tran 39. The Bitterness of Bodies We Bear Bao-Long Chu 40. The Dill Peddler Thanhha Lai Copyrights Acknowledgements About the Contributors About the Editors A Note to the Reader List of Donors