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MARCH 20, 2000 VOL. 155 NO. 11 Vietnam's history since the end of the war a quarter of a century ago has been one long succession of disappointed dreams and barely concealed tears. Duong Thu Huong has become the most poignant chronicler of the country's disillusionment. Her Paradise of the Blind tells of a corrupt party official wrecking the life of his young niece with his own petty concerns. Novel Without a Name is a riveting account of the war and its numbing effects on ordinary people, who were far less enthused about the great patriotic struggle than official propaganda suggested. Novel landed Huong in jail for seven months in 1991, and since then she has been unable to publish her books in Vietnam, although she continues to live and write in Hanoi.
This latest work does not have the impact of Novel Without a Name, which was held together by the horror of the war. Memories of a Pure Spring is more diffuse, chronicling the fragmented lives of a family drifting through a Vietnam run by soulless ideologues. Still, Huong writes beautifully, seeking in the depths of memory the artistic vision reflected in the pure spring of the title. When Suong's husband is sent to a prison camp, she descends into hell, traveling deep into the mountains to find him starving and beaten by the guards. She reclaims him by singing for the prisoners--even as Huong herself persists in writing for a people still far from free. Write to TIME at mail@web.timeasia.com TIME Asia home Quick Scroll: More stories from TIME, Asiaweek and CNN | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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