Join the Library and Vietnam Society for a unique conversation about the classic of Vietnamese literature The Tale o f Kiá»u\, newly translated by Bì\;nh Nguyá»…n. In conversati on with scholars Vinh Quốc Nguyá»…n \; and Thuý\; Ä inh\, this will be a new exploration of a literary classic. \;
\nCopies of the book will be available for sale. \;
\nABO
UT THE BOOK
The Tale of Kiá»u&mdash\;or Kiá»u for sh
ort&mdash\;is a poetic narrative written by Nguyá»…n Du in the 19th ce
ntury\, adapted from a 17th century Chinese romance novel. Considered one
of the greatest classics in Vietnamese literature\, the 2025 English trans
lation by Bì\;nh Nguyá»…n is intended as both corrective reading
and deep appreciation for the work&rsquo\;s popular impact via Vietnam&rs
quo\;s oral tradition and ingenious distribution networks. Rejecting an ep
ic\, but &ldquo\;narrow and outdated&rdquo\; interpretation of Kiá»u a
s emblematic of Vietnam&rsquo\;s colonial history and its author&rsquo\;s
divided political allegiance\, Bì\;nh movingly illustrates how Nguy
á»…n Du successfully transformed a formulaic Chinese novel into a well
-rounded\, dynamic portrait of Vietnamese culture\, beloved by both the in
telligensia and common folk\, even adapted into bedtime lullabies for chil
dren. Discussing Thuý\; Kiá»u&rsquo\;s years of wandering as a w
oman\, artist\, and outsider\, Bì\;nh passionately analyzes how Nguy
á»…n Du&rsquo\;s 3\,254-line poem plumbs the complexities of human nat
ure to define and also defy social hierarchy\, gender\, and sexuality.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS AND MODERATOR
\nB&i grave\;nh Nguyá»…n\, a native of Hà\; Ná»™i\, Viá »‡t Nam\, had lived there continuously until they graduated from high s chool. Considered a prodigy\, they published a series of Vietnamese-langua ge sci-fi novels for young readers in 2011\, when they were only ten. An e arlier version of their English translation of Kiá»u \;received th e 2022 Young Writers Award for Translation from the Vietnamese Writers' As sociation. They graduated from the University of Arizona in May 2023 with a double degree in Astronomy and Linguistics\, and is currently a PhD stud ent in Astronomy at the University of Washington\, Seattle\, where they st udy passive galaxies in the early days of the Universe. Transplanted thous ands of miles from their birthplace\, Bì\;nh finds emotional solace in Nguyá»…n Du&rsquo\;s poetry\, which to them is &ldquo\;like a star whose light [travels] hundreds of light-years to [align] on the shoulder o f a crying child.&rdquo\; Their scientific endeavors and literary projects share one common goal: to embrace ancient canons in exploring what it&rsq uo\;s like to be human in the modern world. They are currently working on the first Vietnamese translation of \;Virgil's \;Aeneid.
\n< strong>Vinh Quốc Nguyá»…n received his BA in East Asian Languages and Civilizations (EALC)\, MA in Regional Studies &ndash\; East Asia (RSEA)\, and PhD in History and East Asian Languages (HEAL)\, all fr om Harvard University. He has done research in Vietnam under fellowships f rom the Fulbright Program and the Social Science Research Council(SSRC). I n November 2021\, for Columbia Poetry Night\, Vinh gave a tremendously ins ightful\, wide-ranging talk on eight out of ten existing English translati ons of Kiá»u (this talk took place before the publication of Bì\ ;nh Nguyá»…n&rsquo\;s current English translation). Vinh&rsquo\;s in-d epth knowledge of Vietnam&rsquo\;s late premodern period\, which covers Ng uyá»…n Du&rsquo\;s era (late 18th century to 19th century)\, familiari ty with Há\;n-Nô\;m philology\, specialized interest in gender/ queer studies\, and accomplished teaching experience will definitely add s alient dimensions to the proposed conversation.
\n
Thu&
yacute\; Äinh \;(moderator) is a bilingual critic\, litera
ry translator\, coeditor of the Vietnamese webzine \;Da Mà\;u\,
and editor-at-large for the Vietnamese Diaspora at \;Asymptote Journal
. On April 30 of this year\, she was one of four panelists on the panel Be
yond Legacy\, Beyond Memory: South Vietnamese Literature from the Fall int
o the Future\, hosted by Columbia University&rsquo\;s Weatherhead East Asi
an Institute and moderated by Professor John D. Phan\, discussing South Vi
etnamese Literature (1954-1975) and its influence on diasporic Vietnamese
literature. \;She also served as guest editor for Words Without Border
s&rsquo\; recently-launched Special Issue on Literature of the Vietnamese
Diaspora.