Full Description
"Light Out" and Modern Vietnamese Stories, 1930-1954, translated by Quan Manh Ha and Paul Christiansen, with an essay by Ngô Văn Giá, is the first anthology in English of colonial Vietnamese literature written by canonical authors. Light Out depicts colonial exploitation, impoverished peasants at the mercy of precarious crop cycles, and institutionalized corruption that pits peasants against village officials. Set over the course of a few days, the novella presents an intimate look into the rural society in northern Vietnam during the height of French colonialism, exposing the brutal realities of the period and the impact such deprivations have on the human spirit.
The eighteen short stories included in this book thematically delineate colonial abuses, class discrimination, patriarchal expectations, and livelihoods tethered to an unstable environment. Aesthetically, they illuminate the impact of French literary traditions and Western thought on Vietnamese traditions of storytelling.
Contents
Introduction by Quan Manh Ha and Paul Christiansen
Part I: Light Out
Light Out by Ngô Tt T
Light Out: Contexts and an Overview of Criticism by Ngô Văn Giá
Part II: Modern Vietnamese Stories, 1930-1954
1. Carrion Eaters by Nguyn Công Hoan
2. The Teeth of an Upper-Class Family's Dog by Nguyn Công Hoan
3. Hunger by Thch Lam
4. An Early Morning by Thch Lam
5. Moonlit Nights by Thch Lam
6. Two Sisters by Nht Linh
7. An Insipid Life by Nht Linh
8. Two Eyes by Khái HƯng
9. You Must Live by Khái HƯng
10. From Theory to Practice by Vũ TrỌng Phng
11. Overweening Pride by Vũ TrỌng Phng
12. The Gold Teeth by Vũ TrỌng Phng
13. A Poor Family by Tô Hoài
14. The First Love Letter by Tô Hoài
15. Bright Moon by Nam Cao
16. The Eyes by Nam Cao
17. A Mistress's Son by Kim Lân
18. Common-law Wife by Kim Lân
