Viet Thanh Nguyen’s “The Sympathizer,” winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, is now an HBO limited series.
for The Washington Post early last year, he noted that the American conception of war tends to involve battles, soldiers, guns, and specific beginning and end dates. From his experience growing up as a refugee of the Vietnam War, however, the reality of conflict can be much more subtle and uncertain.
Style is where The Washington Post covers happenings on the front lines of culture and what it all means, including the arts, media, social trends, politics and yes, fashion, all told with personality and deep reporting. For more Style stories,But for many viewers, that history is likely less familiar. Next April brings the 50th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon — the officially recognized end of the war — and the American memory of this tumultuous period is remote and fading.
The war theoretically spanned 1955-1975, but only from an American point of view. For the Vietnamese, the conflict was a much more significant sprawl. They had already been fighting the French for a decade when the Americans showed up, went on to fight the Cambodians immediately afterward, then continued to sporadically lock horns with the Chinese for over a decade to come. For all practical purposes, Vietnam was at war from 1946 until 1991, and that’s just within the country itself.
Our education system doesn’t paint a very clear portrait of Ho Chi Minh, often portraying him as a tyrant rather than the widely beloved figure he was. For many Vietnamese, the communism of “Uncle Ho” represented a vital escape from colonial rule. But while their desire for an alternative is understandable, once the country was reunified under communism, retribution against the South was fast and harsh.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
‘The Sympathizer’ follows Robert Downey Jr. down the rabbit hole of the Vietnam WarRobert Downey Jr. Plays four roles in “The Sympathizer,” a darkly satirical look at the Vietnam War and its aftermath.
Read more »
‘The Sympathizer’ puts the Vietnam War back on American TV — with a twistMocking Asian representation in Hollywood, the HBO miniseries casts Robert Downey Jr. as (almost) every one of its one-dimensional villains.
Read more »
‘The Sympathizer’ Review: Robert Downey Jr. Falls Flat in HBO’s Vietnam DramaHBO’s head-spinning Vietnam War-era drama, based on the Pulitzer-winning novel, chokes on its many ambitions.
Read more »
How the creators of HBO's 'The Sympathizer' explore the 'American War' through a Vietnamese lensPark Chan-wook and Don McKellar, the creators of HBO's 'The Sympathizer,' discuss how they adapted Viet Thanh Nguyen’s 2015 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.
Read more »
HBO’s The Sympathizer Is a Piercing Cold War Spy Thriller Grounded by Park Chan-wookHBO's Cold War thriller The Sympathizer boasts a stacked cast and an intriguing premise, but it's the direction and unknown lead that anchor this series.
Read more »
Community events across San Diego County: From commemoration for Vietnam War veterans to egg huntsSneak peek at upcoming concerts, street fairs, festivals, performances, art shows, community meetings, blood drives, library events and more
Read more »