Vietnamese writer Nguyen Ngoc Tu was recently honored with the Outstanding Southeast Asian Literature award at the Dianchi Literature Prize in China for her trio of short stories from the collection "Co dinh mot dam may" (Securing a Cloud) - a work she describes as a turning point in her writing style and technique.

The Dianchi Literature Prize, now in its 20th year, recognizes exceptional works from the previous year’s publications. This year, three short stories from Securing a Cloud, published by Phanbook and Danang Publishing House in 2018, were selected for the 2024 award.

Securing a Cloud features ten short stories that take readers into a "new space of quiet distinction" in literature, according to the publisher. The collection is lauded for its skillful prose, combining a detached, cool narrative voice that simultaneously challenges and intrigues readers, leaving a lasting impression.

In an interview with VietNamNet, Nguyen Ngoc Tu reflected on her collection, stating: “Securing a Cloud is one of the works I hold in high regard, along with Endless Fields, The Island, Water Chronicles, and later Drifting. Not necessarily because it’s excellent - that’s for the readers to judge - but because it marks a shift in my writing technique. When writing Securing a Cloud, I began to explore deeper into the psyche, following thoughts and emotions rather than structuring a traditional story with a clear beginning and end.”

Due to personal reasons, Nguyen Ngoc Tu was unable to attend the award ceremony in Kunming, Yunnan Province, on September 14th. In a speech sent to the organizers, she expressed her gratitude, saying: “For a writer, the most important presence is through their work,” and emphasized her belief that art and literature transcend borders.

She continued: “Thanks to Dianchi magazine for helping these stories bridge the distance between the work and its creator. I’m also grateful to the editor-in-chief and editorial team for reminding me that even when I try to forget what I’ve written, they remain the spiritual children I once nurtured.”

Nguyen Ngoc Tu candidly shared that she avoids rereading her works once they are published. She explained: “I’ve read them so much during editing that I’ve grown sick of them, and when I reread them, I can only see the flaws, the clumsy sentences that stand out more over time.” For her, the most important thing is "not to linger on past works, but to focus on what I am and will be writing next."

In an interview with VietNamNet, when asked if she plans to introduce her works internationally, Nguyen Ngoc Tu responded: “No, I have no such plans. It all comes down to fate, and the biggest fate lies with the translators. Not just for me, but the international success of Vietnamese literature depends largely on the translators.”

Nguyen Ngoc Tu has received several international literary awards, including the 2018 ASEAN Literature Award for The Light That Never Goes Out and Endless Fields, and the 2018 LiBeraturpreis awarded by the German Association for the Promotion of African, Asian, and Latin American Literature (Litprom) for Endless Fields.

In 2019, Nguyen Ngoc Tu was named among the Top 50 Most Influential Women in Vietnam by Forbes.

Most recently, in July, the English translation of her work Water: A Chronicle, translated by An Ly, won the PEN Translates Award from English PEN.

Linh Dan