Literature is a bridge of friendship

At the online workshop titled “Written Memories” recently organized by the Ink Heritage 2025 contest, writer Wayne Karlin interacted and shared with young Vietnamese writers valuable experiences in writing and concepts about the writing profession.

Writer Wayne Karlin, born in 1945 in New York, is the author of many novels such as Vanishing Armies, The Cut, For Us, The Supporting Role, Genizah... (Photo: Ha Anh)

For many Vietnamese, Wayne Karlin is a special writer, because he was an American veteran who fought in Vietnam and made important contributions to introducing contemporary Vietnamese literature to the world.

Since the 1990s, he has participated in editing and promoting the publication of a series of translated novels, short stories and memoirs by many Vietnamese authors such as Nguyen Khai, Le Minh Khue, Ho Anh Thai, Da Ngan, Nguyen Huy Thiep, Ma Van Khang, Doan Le, Tran Van Thuy... These books were published by prestigious American publishers and left an impression on readers.

In particular, he was the contributor and co-editor of the first collection of short stories by American veterans who fought in Vietnam, Free Fire Zone . Published in 1973, this work clearly shows the pain and loss that the war was causing for both Vietnamese and Americans. More preciously, all royalties from the book were donated to peace projects, including a fund to help rebuild Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi - where American bombs were dropped in 1972.

Speaking at the conference, he recalled an event that changed his life. That was the meeting with Vietnamese writers at the summer writing program at the William Joiner Center, University of Massachusetts in 1993. When listening to writer Le Minh Khue talk about his years as a youth volunteer in Quang Tri, near Khe Sanh, he immediately recalled the moments when he flew over that area with the harsh firing order.

As a veteran, in the following years, he worked with writer Le Minh Khue and writer Truong Vu to compile a short story manuscript called The other side of heaven, bringing voices from many sides of the war: veterans of the North Vietnamese army, veterans of the Republic of Vietnam army, and American veterans.

The collection, published by Curbstone Press in 1995, was named one of the best anthologies of the year by the American Society of Literary Critics. All royalties from the book's first two years of publication were donated to the Department of Obstetrics, Hue Hospital, and later to Project Renew, an organization that clears unexploded ordnance in Quang Tri.

From 1995 to 2010, as editor-in-chief of the Voices from Viet Nam series of Curbstone Publishing, Mr. Wayne Karlin edited and promoted the publication of many valuable works of contemporary Vietnamese literature. In particular, he and writer Ho Anh Thai co-edited the anthology Love After War: Contemporary Fiction from Viet Nam - a collection of short stories by 45 Vietnamese authors, published in 2003, which helped to promote Vietnamese literature.

Currently, at the age of 80, his health does not allow him to return to Vietnam often, but he still reads Vietnamese literary works and introduces them to his readers and friends.

He believes that the important qualities of a writer are rich in emotion, perseverance and a beautiful personality. Recalling his time fighting in Vietnam, he shared: “During war, people have to bury their humanity, because once they see it, they cannot continue. Just a moment of realizing that each other is also human, empathy will arise, breaking the indifference that war creates. At that time, how can we kill anymore?"

He advised young Vietnamese writers: “Write a diary to preserve pieces of life, even if it is just a patch of sunlight. Remember the words and ways of speaking of those around you and write them down, because that will be valuable material for your writing later on.”

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/van-chuong-la-cau-noi-tinh-huu-nghi-309045.html