Kiriyama Prize
1 appearances
Andrew X. Pham
アンドリュー・エックス・ファム
Andrew X. Pham
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- Phan Thiet, Vietnam
- Died
- 2025-04-30 （Thailand (ashes scattered at sea)） age 58
- Nationality
- Vietnam, United States
- Languages
- Vietnamese, English
- Residence History
- Refugee camp in Jakarta, Indonesia → Shreveport, Louisiana (sponsored by First Baptist Church) → San Jose, California → Los Angeles, California (attended UCLA)
Career
- Occupations
- author, journalist, technical writer, aerospace engineer
- Active Years
- 1990-2025
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) | School of Engineering | Aerospace Engineering | B.S. | 1986–1990 | United States |
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
School of Engineering
/ Aerospace Engineering
Degree:
B.S.
Period:
1986–1990
Year of Graduation:
1990
Country:
United States
Received B.S. in aerospace engineering and worked as an aircraft engineer
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Prize | Catfish and Mandala: A Two-Wheeled Voyage Through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam | memoir | Kiriyama Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2000 | Whiting Award | — | — | Whiting Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2009 | Guggenheim Fellowship | — | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | 受賞 |
Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Prize
1999
Work:
Catfish and Mandala: A Two-Wheeled Voyage Through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam
Category:
memoir
Organization:
Kiriyama Foundation
Result:
受賞
Whiting Award
2000
Organization:
Whiting Foundation
Result:
受賞
Guggenheim Fellowship
2009
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Whiting Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 16 (2000) Winner
Works
Major Works
Catfish and Mandala: A Two-Wheeled Voyage Through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam
1999 memoir / traveloguePham chronicles a bicycle journey through the U.S. Pacific Northwest and Vietnam, exploring exile, family, identity, and memory.
diasporamemoryidentityfamilyjourney
The Eaves of Heaven: A Life in Three Wars
2008 non-fiction / family historyA family history that traces events from the French colonial era through the Vietnam Wars, intertwining historical narrative and personal story.
warfamily historyhistorytrauma
Twilight Territory: A Novel
2024 novelA 2024 novel that deals with family, memory, and belonging (see contemporary reviews for detailed plot).
belongingfamilymemory
Bibliography
- Catfish and Mandala: A Two-Wheeled Voyage Through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam (1999)
- The Eaves of Heaven: A Life in Three Wars (2008)
- Twilight Territory: A Novel (2024)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- memoiristictravelogue elementslyrical interwoven with historical narrative
- Recurring Motifs
- journeymemory and forgettingfood and cuisinefragments of familylandscape
Legacy
As a Vietnamese-born American author, Pham is known for memoir and non-fiction exploring exile, memory, and family. Recipient of the 1999 Kiriyama Prize, 2000 Whiting Award, and a 2009 Guggenheim Fellowship, he is regarded as an important voice in diaspora literature.
Trivia
- Born in 1967 in Phan Thiet, Vietnam; family fled by boat and spent time in a refugee camp in Jakarta before resettling in the United States.
- The suicide of his sister Chi (who had later taken the name Minh as a transgender man) catalyzed Pham's journey to Vietnam and influenced his writing.
- After earning a B.S. in aerospace engineering from UCLA, he worked as an aircraft engineer and later became a freelance technical writer and journalist.
- Major works include Catfish and Mandala (1999), The Eaves of Heaven (2008), and Twilight Territory (2024).