Introduction of the Website

Writer Le Luu, in nearly 60 years of dedication in writing, contributed to the country’s literature with many works of artistic value and he certainly made his own mark. He left behind important milestones in Vietnamese literature during the reform period. In 1985, he published the novel Thời Xa Vắng (A Time Far Past), a unique and painful story set in the Vietnamese countryside, about a man who cannot find happiness outside his familiar atmosphere. The work is considered as the start of the period of literary renewal in Vietnam. The novel was warmly received by readers, reprinted many times, made into a film in 2004 and translated and published in the United States.  A Time Far Past is a seminal work of Vietnamese literature with the message: People are only true people when they can live as themselves, not by other people’s opinions or values. With A Time Far Past, Le Luu really brought an important change to the literary life of Vietnam. The ideology of A Time Far Past made Vietnamese literature enter a new phase since 1954.

In 1986, Le Luu was invited by the William Joiner Center, a literary organization of American veterans who fought in Vietnam, to visit the United States. On returning, he wrote Một Thời Lầm Lỗi (A Time of Mistakes). This novel had great resonance because of the amount of information contained in it and his thoughts about what humanity had gone through during brutal war between two peoples. His presence before American intellectuals and readers changed the way Americans view the country, people and culture of Vietnam. Le Luu became the first Vietnamese peace envoy to the US. He and other Vietnamese and American veteran writers built the first bridges of friendship between the two peoples to resolve past hatreds. Poet Kevin Bowen, professor of literature and American veteran said about Le Luu: “A fierce energy, an overflowing vitality, deep sincerity and a true friend.” Renowned poet, literature professor, and veteran Bruce Weigl said: “Nothing, no one, can replace Le Luu”. Later on, upon returning from his second visit to the United States, he wrote the book Trở Lại Nước Mỹ (Return to America).

Sadly, Le Luu passed away in November 2022. His family wishes to carry out activities to commemorate him, including establishing this Le Luu website, to preserve what belongs to him and to let readers around the world know more about his works as well as about the Vietnamese literature.

(According to the eulogy of writer Nguyen Quang Thieu read at the funeral of writer Le Luu)