Quang Nhuong Huynh
Encyclopedia
Quang Nhuong Huynh is a Vietnam
ese author. He has written two books, and has received several awards for his autobiographical work The Land I Lost
. Huynh is credited as being the first Vietnamese to write fiction and non-fiction in English.
for Chemistry
, earning his degree in 1962. After the outbreak of the Vietnam War
, Huynh was drafted into the South Vietnamese army, where he reached the rank of first lieutenant
, and received a gold and a silver medal. Huynh was shot and paralyzed during the war, resulting in his trip to the United States in 1963 for physical therapy.
Huynh decided to stay in the United States, and earned an M.A. in Comparative Literature in 1971 from Long Island University
, and in 1973 he got an M.A. in French
from the University of Missouri
in Columbia, Missouri
. His writing career was then begun when his book The Land I Lost
was published in 1982. The book won several awards, and was translated into several languages. In the early 1990s, Huynh also had some success as a playwright
, and in 1990 he was awarded a Creative Writing Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.
In 1997, Huynh published his other book that was titled Water Buffalo Days. Similar to The Land I Lost, the book focused on his life — more specifically his childhood. Four years later, Huynh died. He was the first Vietnam
ese to write fiction
and nonfiction in English.
, won several awards. It received the ALA Notable Children's Book award, the ALA Booklist Editors’ Choice award, the Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies (NCSS/CBC), the Library of Congress Children's Books award, the William Allen White Children's Book Award (Kansas), the Friends of American Writers Award, and the Blue Cobra Award. In 1990, Huynh received a Creative Writing Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
ese author. He has written two books, and has received several awards for his autobiographical work The Land I Lost
The Land I Lost
The Land I Lost is an autobiographical book that centers on the life of the author, Quang Nhuong Huynh. The book was first published by HarperTrophy in 1986, and was illustrated by Vo-Dinh Mai. Huynh's second book, Water Buffalo Days, used multiple passages originally published in The Land I Lost,...
. Huynh is credited as being the first Vietnamese to write fiction and non-fiction in English.
Biography
Huynh was born August 22, 1946 in My Tho, Vietnam to the parents Huynh Miu Van, and Kiem Thi. Huynh then enrolled in Saigon UniversitySaigon University
Saigon University is a public university in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This university was established in 25 April 2007 by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, operating under the People's Committee in Ho Chi Minh City. This university was founded on the basis of the Ho Chi Minh City College...
for Chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, earning his degree in 1962. After the outbreak of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, Huynh was drafted into the South Vietnamese army, where he reached the rank of first lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
, and received a gold and a silver medal. Huynh was shot and paralyzed during the war, resulting in his trip to the United States in 1963 for physical therapy.
Huynh decided to stay in the United States, and earned an M.A. in Comparative Literature in 1971 from Long Island University
Long Island University
Long Island University is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian institution of higher education in the U.S. state of New York.-History:...
, and in 1973 he got an M.A. in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
from the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
in Columbia, Missouri
Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the...
. His writing career was then begun when his book The Land I Lost
The Land I Lost
The Land I Lost is an autobiographical book that centers on the life of the author, Quang Nhuong Huynh. The book was first published by HarperTrophy in 1986, and was illustrated by Vo-Dinh Mai. Huynh's second book, Water Buffalo Days, used multiple passages originally published in The Land I Lost,...
was published in 1982. The book won several awards, and was translated into several languages. In the early 1990s, Huynh also had some success as a playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, and in 1990 he was awarded a Creative Writing Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.
In 1997, Huynh published his other book that was titled Water Buffalo Days. Similar to The Land I Lost, the book focused on his life — more specifically his childhood. Four years later, Huynh died. He was the first Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
ese to write fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
and nonfiction in English.
Awards and recognition
Huynh's first book, The Land I LostThe Land I Lost
The Land I Lost is an autobiographical book that centers on the life of the author, Quang Nhuong Huynh. The book was first published by HarperTrophy in 1986, and was illustrated by Vo-Dinh Mai. Huynh's second book, Water Buffalo Days, used multiple passages originally published in The Land I Lost,...
, won several awards. It received the ALA Notable Children's Book award, the ALA Booklist Editors’ Choice award, the Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies (NCSS/CBC), the Library of Congress Children's Books award, the William Allen White Children's Book Award (Kansas), the Friends of American Writers Award, and the Blue Cobra Award. In 1990, Huynh received a Creative Writing Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.