A viral debate over a government honour for the classic war novel ‘The Sorrow of War’ has caused it to sell out in Vietnamese bookstores
HANOI: A government honour for the classic Vietnamese war novel ‘The Sorrow of War’ has sparked a furious online debate and caused the book to sell out.
The novel by Bao Ninh was included in a list of 50 greatest works since reunification by Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in late November.
Some conservative figures and veterans reacted with anger, arguing its unvarnished depictions diminished the heroism of North Vietnamese soldiers.
This controversy has ignited massive renewed interest in the 1987 novel, forcing bookstores to scramble to meet surging demand.
“I only knew about this novel because of these online discussions,” said Le Hien, 25, who found it sold out at several Hanoi bookstores.
First published as ‘The Destiny of Love’, the book is narrated by a young North Vietnamese soldier haunted by memories of a ‘jungle of screaming souls’.
It depicts trauma, suffering and a girlfriend’s rape by fellow soldiers, contrasting with domestic war literature that traditionally emphasised valour.
Nguyen Thanh Tuan, a former military propaganda head, said on Facebook the book aimed to ‘diminish the heroism of our army’.
His post calling for the honour to be revoked received thousands of likes and ricocheted across social media.
Many others defended the novel’s recognition for its literary and human truth.
“If we demand that a novel function like a battle report, we are forcing literature to perform the work of another profession,” said critic Ha Thanh Van.
She said the novel moves readers because it ‘delves into the dark corners of memory, where war continues to exist as haunting memories’.
The debate has propelled the book to new visibility, especially among young readers born after its initial publication.
“After the controversy about the award went viral online, more people became interested and started looking to buy (the book),” said a Hanoi bookseller named Nguyen.
Another bookseller said sales were slow before the furore ‘but suddenly we’re sold out’.
Editor Nguyen Hai Dang of Tre Publishing House said the controversy caused a flurry of orders that overwhelmed the central warehouse.
He confirmed a reprinting was underway, with 15,000 copies produced this year and about 80,000 since their 2011 agreement with the author.
The internationally acclaimed novel has been translated into more than 15 languages. – AFP
