Ocean Vuong
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| Vuong, photographed by Doug Levy (1) |
Ocean Vuong, born Vinh Quoc Vuong (2) on October 14, 1988, is a Vietnamese-American author, poet, professor, photographer, and New York University (NYU) graduate (5), where he received an MFA in poetry. Originally from Saigon (alternatively known as Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam, Vuong was raised in Hartford, Connecticut. His writings often draw on his own experiences as a queer immigrant who was raised by a single mother. He has one published novel along with two published poetry compilations, Night Sky with Exit Wounds and Time is a Mother.
"On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous"
"Dear Ma, I am writing to reach you - even if each word I put down is one word further from where you are." (7)
Vuong's debut novel - "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" - is a semi-autobiographical text published in 2019 surrounding the character Little Dog and his coming-of-age. It is partially formatted as a letter from a son to his mother who cannot read. It details Little Dog's life growing up as a Vietnamese child in a post-Vietnam War America along with the lives of his mother and grandmother. In the novel are depictions of mental illness, addiction, sexuality, gender, war, poverty, domestic abuse, and other subjects considered taboo within Little Dog's culture (and in the United States.)  |
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"[Vuong] transforms the emotional, the visceral, the individual into the political in an unforgettable - indeed, gorgeous - novel," - Viet Thanh Nguyen, TIME Magazine (3)
"Reading 'On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous' can feel like watching an act of endurance art, or a slow, strange piece of music in which bones become sonatas," - Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker (4)
Vuong's novel was received very positively, going on to become a New York Times bestseller. He garnered praise for his unapologetic portrayal of the struggles of an immigrant family, in which Vuong "refuses to be embarrassed" (3) . The New Yorker's Jia Tolentino spoke of Vuong's poetry ability, his "skill with elision, juxtaposition, and sequencing" and how they influenced and enhanced the novel, making it a one-of-a-kind reading experience (4). Fellow Vietnamese-American author Viet Thanh Nguyen commended the emotional aspect of the story and Little Dog's discovery of "the most precious of resources: love." (3).
"Night Sky with Exit Wounds"
"The most beautiful part/of your body is wherever/your mother's shadow falls." (6)
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| (6) |
Vuong's first book of poetry, "Night Sky with Exit Wounds," predates his novel yet deals with some similar themes. Released in 2016, it focuses heavily on his family's memories of the war and their subsequent immigration to the United States. The cover of the book depicts Vuong, his mother, and his aunt at a refugee camp, further alluding to the content of the poems inside. Night Sky with Exit Wounds was also well received, with many reviews commending its status as a debut work.
Reflection
Going into this blog with little knowledge about Vuong besides what I read in his novel, I was excited to delve deeper into his life and other works. I find reading the experiences of others different from you to be a very valuable experience, and the few similarities I have with Vuong make it all the more influential and interesting to learn about our differences. Being able to connect his poetry with his novels, from the writing style to the content itself, also makes the novel even better in retrospect. Furthermore, seeing reviews from some people who share Vuong's history and relate to the content he writes about gives the reader an idea of just how important novels such as On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous are.
Works Cited
(1) Brockes, Emma. “Interview: Ocean Vuong.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 9 June 2019, www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jun/09/ocean-vuong-on-earth-we-are-briefly-gorgeous-interview.
(2) Dubey, Anna. “Ocean Vuong.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., www.britannica.com/biography/Ocean-Vuong. Accessed 11 Feb. 2024.
(3) Nguyen, Viet Thanh. “A Painful Search for Love.” TIME Magazine, vol. 193, no. 23, June 2019, p. 66. EBSCOhost, research.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=d3903d6f-166f-3d6f-80ba-c6ae942a85e9. Accessed 11 Feb. 2024.
(4) Tolentino, Jia. “Fireproof.” New Yorker, vol. 95, no. 16, June 2019, pp. 82–87. EBSCOhost, research.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=6f618ac4-9457-3044-a41d-fed7b6f6f6ad. Accessed 11 Feb. 2024.
(5) Vuong, Ocean. “About.” Oceanvuong, www.oceanvuong.com/about. Accessed 11 Feb. 2024.
(6) Vuong, Ocean. Night Sky with Exit Wounds. Copper Canyon Press, 2016.
(7) Vuong, Ocean. On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous: A Novel. Penguin Books, 2019.
Hi Brianna! I really enjoyed reading further about Ocean Vuong and his work. I have heard of his novel 'On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous' but did not know it was semi-autobiographical. There is something so heartbreaking about writing a letter to someone in a language they'll never understand. I also didn't know that Vuong had published poetry as well, and I enjoyed the excerpt you shared about a mother's shadow. I admire Vuong's ability to be vulnerable in his work. It is a visceral experience to read works that have so much emotion behind them, and I cannot imagine what it takes to write that way. Thank you for sharing! His work is definitely on my list now.
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