The Sorrow of War: A Novel of North Vietnam

The Sorrow of War: A Novel of North Vietnam

• Genre: Fiction; historical
• Originally Published: 1987
• Reading Level/Interest: College/Adult
• Structure/Length: Approximately 240 pages; approximately 7 hours, 53 minutes on audio
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: The central conflict in the story revolves around Kien, a North Vietnamese soldier who survives the Vietnam War but is left deeply traumatized by his experiences. The novel shifts between Kien’s memories of the war and his attempts to come to terms with the physical and emotional trauma he endured. The story explores the devastating impact of war on individuals and societies.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Graphic depictions of war; violence and death; mature content; references to suicide; references to alcohol addiction; depictions of rape

Bảo Ninh, Author

• Bio: Born 1952; Vietnamese writer of essays, novels, and short stories; former North Vietnamese soldier; known for his autobiographical novel The Sorrow of War, which is based on his experiences during the Vietnam War; critically acclaimed both in Vietnam and internationally; often addresses the long-lasting psychological effects of war
• Other Works: Hanoi at No Time (2003); Rambling While Stuck in Traffic (2005); Hanoi at Midnight (published in English in 2023)
• Awards: The Independent Foreign Fiction Award (1994)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• Memory
• Art

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the social and historical contexts regarding the Vietnam War that incite Kien’s conflict.
• Analyze paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of Memory and Art.
• Select and analyze passages in the text that demonstrate the protagonist’s relationship with the act of writing.
• Analyze and evaluate plot and character details to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding peace, art, and other topics.

Note: This Teaching Guide uses the First Anchor Books ebook edition of the text (ISBN 9780525434399), published in 2017. This is not the same edition used for the accompanying study guide; pagination will vary between the two resources.