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Viet Thanh Nguyen

ヴィエト・タイン・グエン

Viet Thanh Nguyen

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1971-03-13 （Ban Mê Thuột, South Vietnam）
Nationality
American
Languages
English, Vietnamese
Residence History
Fort Indiantown Gap (refugee camp) → Harrisburg, Pennsylvania → San Jose, California → Pasadena, California → Los Angeles, California

Career

Occupations
Professor, Novelist, Essayist
Active Years
1997-
Affiliations
University of Southern California (USC), American Academy of Arts and Sciences (Fellow), Pulitzer Prize Board (member)
Memberships
American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Pulitzer Prize Board

Education

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Period: 在学（四半期）
Country: United States
Attended for a quarter before transferring
University of California, Riverside (UCR)
Period: 在学（約1年）
Country: United States
Attended for about a year before transferring to UC Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
English and Ethnic Studies
Degree: PhD（英語学） / BA（英語・Ethnic Studies）
Period: 在学 — 卒業（BA 1992, PhD 1997）
Year of Graduation: 1997
Country: United States
Graduated Phi Beta Kappa (BA 1992) and earned a PhD in English (1997)

Awards

Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
2016
Work: The Sympathizer
Organization: Pulitzer Prize Board / Columbia University
Result: 受賞
MacArthur Fellowship
2017
Organization: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Result: 受賞
Guggenheim Fellowship
2017
Organization: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result: 受賞
Dayton Literary Peace Prize
2016
Work: The Sympathizer
Organization: Dayton Literary Peace Prize
Result: 受賞
Center for Fiction First Novel Prize
2015
Work: The Sympathizer
Organization: Center for Fiction
Result: 受賞
Edgar Award for Best First Novel by an American Author
2016
Work: The Sympathizer
Organization: Mystery Writers of America
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Sympathizer

2015 Novel (historical/political literary fiction)

Set in the aftermath of the Vietnam War within a community of exiles, the novel is narrated by a double agent and explores identity, betrayal, and war memory in a satirical, literary voice.

war and memoryidentityrefugee/exile experiencepolitics and betrayal
Translations
  • The Sympathizer

The Committed

2021 Novel (sequel)

A continuation of The Sympathizer following the protagonist's subsequent life, delving into Cold War-era geopolitics and lingering violence.

cycles of violencepost-exile lifeideology and the individual

The Refugees

2017 Short story collection

A collection of short stories focusing on exile and immigration, portraying memory, loss, and family across multiple characters' experiences.

memory and lossfamilyimmigrant experience

Nothing Ever Dies: Vietnam and the Memory of War

2016 Non-fiction (memory studies / history)

An examination of how the Vietnam War has been remembered and represented across nations and cultures, combining scholarly analysis with public-facing critique.

memory studieshistory and representationre-narration of war

Bibliography

  • The Sympathizer (2015)
  • The Committed (2021)
  • The Refugees (short stories, 2017)
  • Nothing Ever Dies: Vietnam and the Memory of War (2016)
  • Chicken of the Sea (children's book, 2019)
  • A Man of Two Faces: A Memoir, A History, A Memorial (2023)

Adaptations

  • Adaptation plans for The Sympathizer (TV series)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
satirical and ironic narrationcombines scholarly insight with fictionmulti-layered perspectives
Recurring Motifs
memoryduality/double identityexile and identityfamily memory

Legacy

Internationally recognized for works addressing Vietnamese-American experience and war memory, recipient of major prizes including the Pulitzer and MacArthur Fellowship. As a scholar he has shaped debates on war and memory in U.S. literature and culture.

Academic Societies

  • American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Quotes

  • I have no regrets about anything I have said or done in regards to Palestine, Israel, or the occupation and war.
    Source: Instagram (personal post) (2023)

Trivia

  • Won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his debut novel The Sympathizer.
  • Awarded MacArthur Fellowship and a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2017.
  • Elected as the first Asian American member of the Pulitzer Prize Board (2020).
  • Parents were refugees from North Vietnam; family emigrated to the U.S. after the fall of Saigon in 1975.
  • Married to Lan Duong, with two children.
  • Earned a BA and PhD from UC Berkeley and teaches at the University of Southern California (USC).