Lannan Literary Awards
4 appearances
-
Edition 98 (2016, held 3 times in year) Fellowship
-
Edition 200 (2016, held 6 times in year) Fellowship
Ocean Vuong
オーシャン・ヴぉん
Ocean Vuong
Aliases:
Vương Quốc Vinh
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1988-01-01 （Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English, Vietnamese
- Religion
- Zen Buddhism
- Residence History
- Hartford, Connecticut, United States → New York City, United States → Northampton, Massachusetts, United States
Career
- Occupations
- poet, writer, professor
- Active Years
- 2010-
- Affiliations
- New York University (creative writing faculty; Artist-in-Residence), University of Massachusetts Amherst (MFA Program faculty), Asian/Pacific/American Institute (NYU)
- Influenced By
- Ben Lerner (mentor/teacher)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn College (City University of New York) | College of Liberal Arts and Sciences | English | B.A. (English) | 在学期間不明（2000年代〜2010年代） | United States |
| New York University | Graduate School of Arts | Poetry (MFA) | M.F.A. (Poetry) | 在学期間不明（MFAプログラム） | United States |
Brooklyn College (City University of New York)
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
/ English
Degree:
B.A. (English)
Period:
在学期間不明（2000年代〜2010年代）
Year of Graduation:
2012
Country:
United States
Received an Academy of American Poets College Prize while attending
New York University
Graduate School of Arts
/ Poetry (MFA)
Degree:
M.F.A. (Poetry)
Period:
在学期間不明（MFAプログラム）
Year of Graduation:
2016
Country:
United States
Earned an MFA in poetry
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship | — | — | Poetry Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2016 | Whiting Award | — | — | Whiting Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2017 | T. S. Eliot Prize | Night Sky with Exit Wounds | — | T. S. Eliot Prize | 受賞 |
| 2019 | MacArthur Fellowship | — | — | MacArthur Fellows Program | 受賞（助成） |
| 2017 | Forward Prizes for Poetry | Night Sky with Exit Wounds | — | Forward Prizes | 受賞/ノミネート（具体的区分は資料による） |
| — | Pushcart Prize | — | — | Pushcart Press | 受賞/選出（年次不明） |
Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship
2014
Organization:
Poetry Foundation
Result:
受賞
Whiting Award
2016
Organization:
Whiting Foundation
Result:
受賞
T. S. Eliot Prize
2017
Work:
Night Sky with Exit Wounds
Organization:
T. S. Eliot Prize
Result:
受賞
MacArthur Fellowship
2019
Organization:
MacArthur Fellows Program
Result:
受賞（助成）
Forward Prizes for Poetry
2017
Work:
Night Sky with Exit Wounds
Organization:
Forward Prizes
Result:
受賞/ノミネート（具体的区分は資料による）
Pushcart Prize
Organization:
Pushcart Press
Result:
受賞/選出（年次不明）
Awards & Nominations
Whiting Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 31 (2016) Winner
Forward Prizes for Poetry
1 appearances
-
Edition 26 (2017) Winner
T. S. Eliot Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 25 (2017) Winner
American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 41 (2020) Winner
Works
Major Works
Night Sky with Exit Wounds
2016 Poetry 96 pagesA debut collection of poems that intertwines immigration, war, family, and the body, blending personal experience with historical memory in lyrical pieces.
immigrationVietnam War legacyfamilylossphysicality
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
2019 Novel / Epistolary-style prose 256 pagesA largely autobiographical novel framed as a letter to the narrator's mother, dealing with immigrant memory, queer love, and questions of language and identity.
memory and traumafamilyqueernesslanguage
Translations
- Has translations into multiple languages (Japanese edition exists)
Time Is a Mother
2022 Poetry 96 pagesA collection addressing grief and renewal after the death of the poet's mother, combining personal mourning, moments of humor, and reflections on language.
lossmotherhoodgriefrenewal
The Emperor of Gladness
2025 Novel 320 pagesA novel exploring work, family, and found community. Upon publication it was selected for Oprah's Book Club and received broad attention.
workfamilycommunity
Bibliography
- Burnings (chapbook)
- No (chapbook)
- Night Sky with Exit Wounds (poetry, 2016)
- On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous (novel, 2019)
- Time Is a Mother (poetry, 2022)
- The Emperor of Gladness (novel, 2025)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- lyrical, intimate narrationfragmentary, poetic proseimagistic and metaphor-driven language
- Recurring Motifs
- immigration and diasporamotherhood and family historywar memorybody and sexual identitylimits of language and translation
Health
-
Suspected dyslexia幼少期〜青年期Required extra time to acquire reading and writing in childhood, which later informed his distinctive approach to language and writing.
Legacy
Known internationally for work that layers immigrant experience, family history, and queerness, Vuong has influenced a generation of poets and writers; his collections and novels have received major awards and critical recognition.
Academic Societies
- Academy of American Poets (associated)
In Popular Culture
- The Emperor of Gladness selected for Oprah's Book Club (2025)
Quotes
-
“Fiction is strongest when it launches a moral question. When it goes out and seeks to answer.”
Source: Interview / Literary Hub (quoted commentary) (2019)
Trivia
- Named 'Ocean' after a customer suggested the word when his mother mispronounced 'beach'.
- Wrote the poetry collection Time Is a Mother following his mother's death.
- Is openly gay and practices Zen Buddhism.