"NIGHT, AGAIN: Contemporary Fiction from Vietnam"

by Linh--Ed. Dinh ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 15, 1996

A welcome collection of 12 stories by Vietnamese writers who are only recently freed from the yoke of censorship (and in some cases imprisonment). The war and its aftereffects are of course powerful presences, but even in stories that center in memories of Hanoi under siege--Duong Thu Hong's ""Reflections of Spring"" and Bao Ninh's ""A Marker on the Side of the Boat""--the impulse, and the effect, seem more individualized and personal, less doctrinaire. All the selections are interesting, though they're of uneven quality, and two stand out: Nguyen Huy Thiep's Balzacian study of an embattled and mutually destructive extended family (""Without a King""), and especially Tran Vu's horrific and perfectly convincing portrayal of an incestuous brother and sister (""Gunboat on the Yangtze""). An important anthology.

Pub Date: July 15, 1996

ISBN: 1583227067

Page Count: 176

Publisher: Seven Stories

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1996

Categories: FICTION