Vietnamese Short Stories: An Introduction

176 Pages·1985·4.767 MB·English

VIETNAMESE SHORT STORIES
An Introduction
Edited and with Translations
by Janies Banerian
With a Foreword by Dr. Nguyen Dinh Hoa
Other works of interest:
Losers Are Pirates: A Close Look at the
PBS Series “ Vietnam,: A Television History"
Edited by James Banerian, 1985, Sphinx PubL
Report on the Vietnamese Land Refugees: The Journey
Through Cambodia and Life in the Refugee Camps
by Kim Ha, Translated and Edited by James Banerian,
1983, Boat People S.O.S. Committee, 6970 Linda Vista Rd.,
San Diego, CA 92111
Pirates on the Gulf of Siam: Reports of
the Vietnamese Boat People
by Nhat Tien, Duong Phuc and Vu Thanh Thuy,
Translated by James Banerian, 1981,
Boat People S.O.S. Committee
Inkdrops, by Le Tat Dieu, Translated by James Banerian,
1979, Vietnamese Artists Association
Vietnamese Short Stories: An Introduction
Edited and with translations by James Banerian
Copyright 1986 by James Banerian
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 86-061040
ISBN: 0-932729-03-7
Sphinx Publishing
4234 East University
Phoenix, Arizona 85034
[phone]
This book 18 dedicated to all Vietnamese
writers and artists who are still imprisoned
or suffering under communist persecution.

FOREWORD
It gives me great pleasure to add a brief statement on the occasion of
the appearance of this collection of Vietnamese short stories, which
out of modesty the translator-editor hesitated to call an anthology.
When I started at Columbia University in 1953, then later continued
teaching Vietnamese language and literature at the University of
Washington and the University of Hawaii in 1965-1966, the paucity of
lesson materials was appalling. Beside photocopies of excerpts from
Vietnamese literary manuals, the students had access only to A
c.
Vietnamese Reader by Laurence Thompson and Nguyen Due Hiep
(University of Washington Press, 1961), a textbook in which reading
texts were prepared by the second author, a talented teacher and
journalist At Southern Illinois University, since the late 1960s, Morris
Library has helped fill the gap through a vigorous acquisitions program
that led to the growth of the Vietnamese collection, one frequent user
of which in the mid 1970 s was the editor of this book. But not until 1975
did there appear a fine volume of English translations, A Thousand
Years of Vietnamese Poetry, by Nguyen Ngoc Bich (Alfred Knopf,
1975), which followed closely a superb rendition by Huynh Sanh Thong
of Vietnam’s national poem, The Tale of Kieu (Random House, 1973;
bilingual edition, Yale University Press, 1983). Then in 1979, an
excellent anthology by the latter translator-editor offered some 500
poetic selections now available as The Heritage of Vietnamese Poetry,
at a particular time when Vietnamese overseas so deeply feel the need
to preserve their cultural legacy in their homes away from home and
within a new environment not necessarily conducive to the cultivation
of age-old Vietnamese cultural traditions in literature and the arts.
James Banerian, a serious interpreter of Vietnamese thought and
psychology, has now brought out this felicitous version of prose
samples authored by contemporary writers. “Ong Ban,” the highly
motivated student whom I discovered on the Carbondale campus a
decade ago, quickly impressed me with his interest, his industrious­
ness and his intelligence in translation work. This book is another
savory fruit of his quiet labor: this tireless gardener has over the
years tenderly nurtured a variety of exotic trees and bushes within the
luxuriant garden of Vietnamese literature, a corner that would
generously proffer freshness, color and fragrance to any passers-by
who choose to dismount from their horses.
in
FOREWORD
Jim Banerian’s translations speak for themselves, but it is hoped
that these few remarks in retrospect will adequately express gratitude
for a valuable and overdue contribution to the futherance of Vietnamese
studies in North America
Nguyen Dinh-Hoa
Director
Center for Vietnamese Studies
SlU-Carbondale
PREFACE
Following the French Indochina War, the United States became
directly involved in the affairs of Southeast Asia as part of its effort to
contain the expansion of Communism in the world. In the new war that
developed, more than two million American soldiers were sent to fight
in Vietnam. Thousands of men were killed or wounded, while many
others were listed as missing in action. Billions of dollars were spent
by the American government in the long and controversial conflict
Events in Southeast Asia shook American society in the 1960s and
1970 s. Questions raised by opponents of the war aroused the con­
sciences of the population at large. With the war’s end, the defeat of
America’s allies, and the influx of refugees into the United States, the
“Vietnam War” has become a lasting part of this country’s history,
affecting politics, the military, society and many personal lives.
Yet even as the name “Vietnam” became a household word, it is sad
to note that after all these years Americans seem to know so little
about Vietnam and the Vietnamese people. Volumes have been written
about the war with reflections and commentaries on political and
military matters. But curiously few books are available today on
Vietnamese culture, social habits, philosophy, and history- materials
which might shed more light on the issues of the war and what was
really happening. Rarer still are translations of Vietnamese novels,
stories, poems and other literary works which could tell US even more
about Vietnam and the subtleties of its culture The contention in
America spawned by the war in Vietnam revealed how deficient was
our knowledge and understanding of the Vietnamese and how niggardly
were our attempts to make up for this inadequacy over the decades.
As for the Vietnamese, their culture is currently at a critical juncture
in history. The policy of the Communist government is to eliminate the
traditional culture of Vietnam, or at least contaminate it with socialist
interpretation, in order to create the “New Socialist Maa” The family
system is being disrupted as parents, children and siblings are
encouraged to spy on each other. Youngsters are indoctrinated in
Party ideology and told to become good nephews and nieces of Uncle
Ho. The presence of security police and cell supervisors precludes free
expression of thoughts and feelings. Literature that runs counter to
official dogma is confiscated, while writers, artists and musicians are
put away in “re-education” camps. Educators must fall in line with
V
PREFACE
Party guidelines and teachers considered to be “reactionary” are
carted off to prison. Religious expression is repressed as only approved
monks, priests and ministers are permitted to perform their duties.
Across Vietnam, the people live in a state of anxiety and hopeless­
ness.
Such an environment is hardly conducive to creativity and imaginative
expression. Vietnam’s intellectual life is slowly being killed by the
fanatic machinations of the Communist leadership. The country’s
most perceptive and sensitive individuals are forced to waste their
energies and talents planting manioc in barren fields, breaking rocks,
or simply rotting away in prison..Without the stimulus of free human
spirit, Vietnam’s culture is deteriorating in its own birthplace
Vietnamese living abroad, too, are witnessing the gradual disap­
pearance of their culture Life in foreign countries demands that
immigrants adapt their behavior and attitudes to suit their new
environment The Vietnamese language may be acceptable at home or
in largely “Vietnamese” settings, but must give way when the
immigrants deal with mainstream society. Schooling and social
pressures teach different lifestyle patterns- a fact that many immigrants
find distressing. The proportion of those able to read and write their
native language fluently is diminishing as the older generation passes
on, leaving children and grandchildren with “foreign” sensitivities and
skills.
Without sufficient support, then, for the preservation of Vietnamese
culture in the United States and abroad, it is clear that in time the basis
of that culture will erode outside, as well as inside, Vietnam. The
literature, too, will eventually die out as fewer persons are capable of
enjoying those written works that survive the refugee exodus. A
number of novels, short stories, romances, thrillers and “kung fu”
serials have been reprinted in this country. Refugee authors have
produced some new books and numerous Vietnamese-language
magazines and newspapers have sprouted up wherever a sizable
community of refugees has settled. The quality of such works varies
and their future depends on how well the community maintains its
demand for materials in Vietnamese.
It goes without saying that translation is becoming an increasingly
important part of the effort to preserve Vietnamese literature and
culture. While not without their shortcomings, translated works act as
an essential vehicle for communication between the Vietnamese and
Americans, providing a framework by which the two cultures may