The Land I Lost
Encyclopedia
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, though it focused on the author's childhood rather than his entire life. With the Publication of The Land I Lost and Water Buffalo Days, Huynh became the first Vietnamese to publish fiction and non-fiction in English
.
(Kansas), the Friends of American Writers Award, and the Blue Cobra Award. The book was also translated into several different languages including German
, French
, Spanish
, and Catalan
.
was born in My Tho, Vietnam in 1946. After being wounded in the Vietnam War
, Huynh traveled to the United States
for physical therapy in 1963. Deciding to stay in the U.S. after therapy, Huynh began his writing career with the release of The Land I Lost in 1986. The book became the first book written in English by a Vietnam
ese author, and after Huynh's second book, he became the first Vietnam
ese to write both fiction and non-fiction in English.
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
book that centers on the life of the author, Quang Nhuong Huynh
Quang Nhuong Huynh
Quang Nhuong Huynh is a Vietnamese 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.-Biography:Huynh was born August 22, 1946 in My Tho,...
. 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, though it focused on the author's childhood rather than his entire life. With the Publication of The Land I Lost and Water Buffalo Days, Huynh became the first Vietnamese to publish fiction and non-fiction in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
Awards
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 AwardWilliam Allen White Children's Book Award
The William Allen White Children's Book Award is an annual book award chosen by Kansas students. It was established by Ruth Garver Gagliardo in 1952, in memory of William Allen White and is administered by Emporia State University. It was the first statewide readers' choice book award in the United...
(Kansas), the Friends of American Writers Award, and the Blue Cobra Award. The book was also translated into several different languages including German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, 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...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, and Catalan
Catalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
.
Cultural significance
The publishing of The Land I Lost had a large impact upon modern culture. The author, Quang Nhuong HuynhQuang Nhuong Huynh
Quang Nhuong Huynh is a Vietnamese 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.-Biography:Huynh was born August 22, 1946 in My Tho,...
was born in My Tho, Vietnam in 1946. After being wounded in 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 traveled to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for physical therapy in 1963. Deciding to stay in the U.S. after therapy, Huynh began his writing career with the release of The Land I Lost in 1986. The book became the first book written in English by a 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 author, and after Huynh's second book, he became 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 both fiction and non-fiction in English.