Kim Huynh

Vietnam as if‚Ä¶¬†follows five young people who have moved from the countryside to the city. Their¬†dramatic everyday lives illuminate some of the most pressing issues in Vietnam today: ‚ÄòThe Sticky Rice Seller‚Äô explores gender roles; ‚ÄòThe Ball Boy‚Äô is all about the struggles of sexual and ethnic minorities; ‚ÄòThe Professional‚Äô examines relations between¬†rich and poor; ‚ÄòThe Goalkeeper‚Äô delves into politics and ideology; and ‚ÄòThe Student‚Äô reflects upon family and faith. The stories also reboot several classics of Vietnamese literature for the twenty-first century, including ‚ÄòFloating Dumplings‚Äô by feminist poet Ho Xuan Huong, Vu Trong Phung‚Äôs satire of French colonialism¬†Dumb Luck, Nguyen Du‚Äôs epic account of fate and sacrifice ‚ÄòThe Tale of Kieu‚Äô, and the proclamations of Ho¬†Chi Minh. These novellas reveal the deepest sentiments of Vietnamese youth as they ‚Äì like youth everywhere ‚Äì come of age, fall in love and contest their destiny. In 2011 Kim Huynh returned to Vietnam, having left more than three decades earlier. He had few plans other than to experience as much of his birthplace as possible. That year he came into contact with a wide range of people and took on many trades. Kim drank and dined with government officials, went on pilgrimages with corporate tycoons and marched in the streets against foreign aggression. He sold sticky rice, was a tennis player and also a ball boy, attended all manner of rituals and celebrations, eavesdropped on people in caf√©s and restaurants, and went back to the classroom as both a student and a teacher. Rich in detail and broad in scope, these tales capture Kim‚Äôs experiences and imaginings of Vietnam as if‚Ä¶.

Vietnam as if‚Ä¶ Tales of youth, love and destiny

Kim Huynh

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