Viet Thanh Nguyen, Pulitzer Prize Winner for the Novel 'The Sympathizer', Releases Sequel 'The Committed'
The novel The Sympathizer sheds light on the hidden sides of Vietnamese and American societies immediately after the Vietnam War through the eyes of its protagonist, a double agent, sharply yet humorously depicting the ideologies and conflicts of the Cold War era. The 2016 Pulitzer Prize-winning work is being adapted into an HBO drama directed by Park Chan-wook. While The Sympathizer tells the story of ‘I,’ the protagonist born to a French Catholic priest father and a Vietnamese mother, who operates as a North Vietnamese spy and CIA secret agent in the United States, the sequel The Committed explores the protagonist’s struggle with which revolution to dedicate himself to after the failure of the American Dream, having moved to France.
On the 15th, at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, author Viet Thanh Nguyen is speaking at the press conference for the publication of "The Devoted." [Photo by Minumsa]
At the press conference for the publication of The Committed held on the 15th at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, author Viet Thanh Nguyen (52) explained that although the novel is not autobiographical, it is based on the emotions of refugees who chose to go to America from Vietnam. Having moved to the United States with his parents after the fall of Saigon in 1975, he said, “As a child, I felt like I was spying on my parents as an American inside the house, and spying on Americans as a Vietnamese outside the house.”
The novel compellingly addresses heavy themes such as the tragedy of fratricidal war and the influence of France, the United States, and Japan on Vietnam by utilizing the thriller genre. Nguyen said, “Every country thinks of itself as good and believes it participated in history with good intentions,” adding, “The novel focuses on such self-justification.”
In this context, he also mentioned the massacre of civilians by South Korean troops who participated in the Vietnam War. He explained, “In Vietnam, South Korean troops were more feared than American troops. The massacre of 165 civilians in one village is an incident acknowledged by both the government and the South Korean military involved,” and added, “Later, the South Korean soldiers who took part in the massacre erected a memorial, but it is located in a barely visible place. There has been no apology from the South Korean government, and the Vietnamese government has not requested one either.”
Regarding the title The Sympathizer, he said, “The protagonist, who operates as a double agent in the United States, has an exceptional ‘sympathizing ability’ that does not discriminate between any ideology or side. Being able to stand on any side is an advantage but also a disadvantage. The novel captures this internal conflict.” About The Committed, he said, “It contains the question of which revolution the protagonist, whose American Dream has been shattered, should dedicate himself to after moving to his father’s homeland, France.”
Regarding the adaptation of The Sympathizer directed by Park Chan-wook, he said, “I still vividly remember the feeling when I first watched Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy. It is a personal honor,” adding, “I had deep conversations with Director Park. Visualizing the first-person narrative psychology will not be easy, but as an excellent storyteller, I believe a great work will come out.”
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