The Phenomenon of Nguyen Huy Thiep’s Short Stories in Doi Moi Literature: 35 Years in Retrospect

Abstract

Vietnamese writers have produced many achievements in the genre of short stories while showing sustained movements to adapt to the changing times. Especially after the National Renovation (Doi Moi) in 1986, literature was renovated and short stories were also swift to generalize profound problems posed in the social life. One of the short story writers, Nguyen Huy Thiep, who was considered a literary phenomenon at that time, was the fi rst to create an important turning point with a series of brilliant short stories, digging up primal literary issues from new bold perspectives. His rise sparked a lot of debate and will probably leave a lasting impression in the fl ow of Vietnamese literature, particularly in the short story genre. The paper, commemorating the year of his death, looks back on Nguyen Huy Thiep’s contributions to Vietnamese literature 35 years after the Renovation (1986-2021).