Kim Thúy
Author of Ru
About the Author
Image credit: Kim Thúy en octobre 2020
Works by Kim Thúy
Man 1 copy
Em (French Edition) 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Thúy, Kim
- Legal name
- Nguyễn An Tịnh Kim Thuy
- Birthdate
- 1968-09-18
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- Canada
- Country (for map)
- Canada
- Birthplace
- Saigon, Vietnam
- Places of residence
- Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Education
- Université de Montréal
- Occupations
- writer
- Awards and honors
- Chevalier de l'Ordre national du Québec (2015)
Members
Discussions
Canadian Author Challenge — January: Robertson Davies & Kim Thúy in 75 Books Challenge for 2016 (February 2016)
Reviews
Mãn by Kim Thúy
the partnership of author kim thúy and translator shiela fischman is truly a thing of beauty! they are both so wonderfully talented! thúy's prose is so rich and nuanced, and it often feels lyrical when i am reading her books. (i felt the same way about [b:Ru|12256885|Ru|Kim Thúy|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320530933s/12256885.jpg|9928952].) i enjoy how thúy plays with memory in her writing, and how she is able to generate visceral responses.
So...we lost power for over 24 hours (super storm sandy) and i decided to re-read this beautiful novel.
Kim Thúy's novel, Ru was shortlisted for this year's Giller Award. Released in its original French in 2010, it won the French-language Governor-General’s Award that same year, and has secured foreign rights in 15 countries. (Though according to a rep at Random House Canada, I have been told a U.S. publication date has not been established.) The English translation has been crafted beautifully by Sheila Fischman. While I was reading, I sensed the tenderness and integrity Fischman brought to this project. (But I would now like to read Ru in French!)
Ru is a fictional memoir told in beautiful vignettes that weave us through An Tinh's escape from Vietnam to her time in a Malaysian refugee camp to her new life in Canada. The novel begins with a note on the meaning of ru. In French, it denotes a small stream or a flow – of water, blood, tears or almost anything else. In Vietnamese, ru means a lullaby.
The opening that follows, gives us a good idea of what's in store:
I came into the world during the Tet Offensive, in the early days of the Year of the Monkey, when the long chains of firecrackers draped in front of houses exploded polyphonically along with the sound of the machine guns.
I first saw the light of day in Saigon, where firecrackers, fragmented into a thousand shreds, coloured the ground red like the petals of cherry blossoms or like the blood of the two million soldiers deployed and scattered through the villages and cities of a Vietnam that had been ripped in two.
I was born in the shadow of skies adorned with fireworks, decorated with garlands of light, shot through with rockets and missiles. The purpose of my birth was to replace lives that had been lost. My life’s duty was to prolong that of my mother.
I love the form this book takes and feel that the way Thúy tells us this story really captures how we remember events from the past. Our recollections help form the big picture but it's the snippets of memory, of moments along the way, that piece together like a puzzle and create the full picture of a life. even in its entirety life can be messy but whole, disjointed and connected at the same time. but from the chaos and uncertainty, physical and moral strength and endurance can emerge and sustain us.
Thúy did a Q & A with CBC Books.… (more)
Kim Thúy's novel, Ru was shortlisted for this year's Giller Award. Released in its original French in 2010, it won the French-language Governor-General’s Award that same year, and has secured foreign rights in 15 countries. (Though according to a rep at Random House Canada, I have been told a U.S. publication date has not been established.) The English translation has been crafted beautifully by Sheila Fischman. While I was reading, I sensed the tenderness and integrity Fischman brought to this project. (But I would now like to read Ru in French!)
Ru is a fictional memoir told in beautiful vignettes that weave us through An Tinh's escape from Vietnam to her time in a Malaysian refugee camp to her new life in Canada. The novel begins with a note on the meaning of ru. In French, it denotes a small stream or a flow – of water, blood, tears or almost anything else. In Vietnamese, ru means a lullaby.
The opening that follows, gives us a good idea of what's in store:
I came into the world during the Tet Offensive, in the early days of the Year of the Monkey, when the long chains of firecrackers draped in front of houses exploded polyphonically along with the sound of the machine guns.
I first saw the light of day in Saigon, where firecrackers, fragmented into a thousand shreds, coloured the ground red like the petals of cherry blossoms or like the blood of the two million soldiers deployed and scattered through the villages and cities of a Vietnam that had been ripped in two.
I was born in the shadow of skies adorned with fireworks, decorated with garlands of light, shot through with rockets and missiles. The purpose of my birth was to replace lives that had been lost. My life’s duty was to prolong that of my mother.
I love the form this book takes and feel that the way Thúy tells us this story really captures how we remember events from the past. Our recollections help form the big picture but it's the snippets of memory, of moments along the way, that piece together like a puzzle and create the full picture of a life. even in its entirety life can be messy but whole, disjointed and connected at the same time. but from the chaos and uncertainty, physical and moral strength and endurance can emerge and sustain us.
Thúy did a Q & A with CBC Books.… (more)
Thuy writes this autobiographical novel in short vignettes that hop around in time. Moments from her childhood in South Vietnam, her days at sea as a refugee, in a densely overpopulated Thai refugee camp, as a refugee in Quebec, her return to Vietnam to work for 3 years, her life in Montreal with her 2 sons one of whom is autistic are scattered throughout the book. The pictures created are degrading, terrifying, joyous, observant and thoughtful. They sum up a life of contrasts. Beautifully done.
I love Kim Thúy's writing, and this novella is no exception. Whenever I pick up one of her books, I know I am going to be treated to beautiful, evocative writing; a semi-autobiographical plot; a delicate, nuanced view of immigration; a visceral longing for her Vietnamese homeland; and a love for her adopted country (Canada).
Mãn (which means "fulfilled") grew up in Vietnam with her adoptive mother, Maman, who would often leave Mãn with friends or neighbors when she had an assignment as a revolutionary. There Mãn learned to be invisible, to serve the families with deft hands, anticipating their wants so they would have no cause to turn on her. This prepared her for the life of a foreign bride to a Vietnamese man in Montreal. Maman wanted her to be assured of a safe life, and Mãn continued to take up as little oxygen as possible.
Once in Montreal, however, Mãn is befriended by Julie, a smiling, open-hearted woman who dissolves the boundaries that Mãn has set up around herself. Soon Mãn is running an increasingly famous restaurant built around remembered and reimagined Vietnamese recipes. In Paris Mãn meets someone who will dissolve the boundaries around her heart as well.
Kim Thúy is a restaurateur and chef, and her passion for food is evident in this novel. If you love food, you will enjoy her descriptions of the tastes and textures of various foods used in Vietnamese cooking. But it's also a novel about a life between worlds and the struggle to find personal fulfillment in such a tenuous space. As in [Em] and [Ru], each chapter is only a page or two long and the book is short, but the language is rich and savory and the images linger.… (more)
Mãn (which means "fulfilled") grew up in Vietnam with her adoptive mother, Maman, who would often leave Mãn with friends or neighbors when she had an assignment as a revolutionary. There Mãn learned to be invisible, to serve the families with deft hands, anticipating their wants so they would have no cause to turn on her. This prepared her for the life of a foreign bride to a Vietnamese man in Montreal. Maman wanted her to be assured of a safe life, and Mãn continued to take up as little oxygen as possible.
Once in Montreal, however, Mãn is befriended by Julie, a smiling, open-hearted woman who dissolves the boundaries that Mãn has set up around herself. Soon Mãn is running an increasingly famous restaurant built around remembered and reimagined Vietnamese recipes. In Paris Mãn meets someone who will dissolve the boundaries around her heart as well.
Kim Thúy is a restaurateur and chef, and her passion for food is evident in this novel. If you love food, you will enjoy her descriptions of the tastes and textures of various foods used in Vietnamese cooking. But it's also a novel about a life between worlds and the struggle to find personal fulfillment in such a tenuous space. As in [Em] and [Ru], each chapter is only a page or two long and the book is short, but the language is rich and savory and the images linger.… (more)
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labfs39 | 19 other reviews | Feb 11, 2024 |
labfs39 | 19 other reviews | Feb 11, 2024 | Lists
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Statistics
- Works
- 17
- Members
- 1,475
- Popularity
- #17,415
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 94
- ISBNs
- 123
- Languages
- 14
- Favorited
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