Both novelists are committed to sharing their sadness-infinite and boundless sadness that influences (rather than simply informs) the reader. Impactful storytelling, which “makes the stomach believe” (O74), takes precedence over factual reporting. Nihn, too, takes this position, pushing the boundaries of psychological authenticity in the art of fiction. Worthy of note is O’Brien’s famous assertion that story-truth is truer than real-truth. Their stories are crafted in such a way as to maximize the feel of reality. Their works of fiction are truthful and compelling, embodying qualities that deserve to be called groundbreaking storytelling.īelieving in the power of stories, both writers are most dedicated to transmitting stark realities-what it feels like to fight in Việt Nam and to live afterward. The two authors have thus generated strikingly honest and unflinching narratives through firsthand experiences. Ninh and O’Brien are intent on inspiring empathy in others by opening themselves up “in a deeply personal way” (N50), even with their “absolute and uncompromising allegiance to obscenity and evil” (O66). “The general population didn’t care about ,” Ninh says of the “disrespect” shown to them (N79). These two works are sorrowful lamentations about how people are callous about Việt Nam War stories. Authored by former foot soldiers, these self-representational narratives present striking similarities in stressful combat situations, wartime traumas, and arduous postwar struggles. O’Brien served in Việt Nam as an infantryman from 1968 to 1970. 1 Ninh is a shaggy-haired writer from Hanoi who served in the Glorious 27th Youth Brigade and fought in the Central Highlands. The Sorro w of War is an award-winning international bestseller that children peddle on street corners in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The Things They Carried, a semi-autobiographical novel that reads like a collection of short stories, is one of the finest and most widely read books about the Việt Nam War. These two novels bring the reader into communion with the enormous weight of sorrow that resulted from fighting in a devastating war. 1946) The Things They Carried (1990) are Việt Nam classics that depict traumatic memories of war veterans. 1952) The Sorrow of War: A Novel of North Vietnam (1990) and Tim O’Brien’s (b. Re-envisioning Asia: Contestations and Struggles in the Visual Artsīao Ninh’s (b.

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The things they carried