Carlee Shimek
Within the mind of Phong Nguyen lies an adventurous true telling of the ancient Trung sisters of Vietnam, who rebelled against the Chinese occupation of their home in the first century AD. Spanning years of research and writing, Nguyen seamlessly combines fiction and nonfiction in his latest novel Bronze Drum. Hailed as “a riveting bildungsroman about Trung Trac and Trung Nhi,” by NPR, the book’s “nuanced yet visceral reimagining of the sisters’ trajectory fully captures the shifting nature of war and peace, life and death, feminine and masculine.” Released in August, this historical fiction novel is based on the true events involving a pair of warrior sisters whose memory lives on in modern Vietnam as symbols of patriotism, feminism, and bravery.
In a recent interview with the Guild, Nguyen shared that he’d wanted to write about the Trung sisters, Trung Trac and Trung Nhi, for years. Now, he’s sharing their story. Join the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild at 6 pm on Monday, Oct. 10, at the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library for the chance to meet Nguyen and learn about Bronze Drum. Read below to get a sneak peek into the author's mind before the upcoming event this Monday.
Carlee Shimek: The Trung sisters, the protagonists of your book, are iconized in Vietnam as national heroines and hallmarks of Vietnamese independence and culture. What was your inspiration for writing such a book about them?
Phong Nguyen: Their story always appealed to me ever since I was young, and I have always wanted to read books and stories about the Trung Sisters, but there weren't any written or published in English when I was growing up, so it became clear to me that if I wanted to read them, that I would have to write them myself. It took me many years to feel up to the task of writing such a big-canvas story as this, so even though this is my fifth book, it has been on my radar for decades.
CS: The book’s genre is classified as historical fiction, but the Trung sisters were real figures in Vietnamese history. Which aspects of the story remain true, and which aspects were fictionalized?
PN: To properly answer this question would take very long-- perhaps another book in itself!-- but the short answer is that the Trung Sisters and their family members (Trung Trac, Trung Nhi, Lord Trung, Lady Man Thien, Thi Sach) as well as those who participate in the battles (Phung Thi Chinh, Phat Nguyet, and the rest of the thirty-six generals; as well as, on the other side, Governor To Dinh and General Ma Yuan) are all historical; other characters such as Kha, Duy, Phan Minh, Mai, and Wan Fu are all invented. Importantly, the tiger-hunting scene is historical; as is the episode of Phung Thi Chinh giving birth on the battlefield and continuing to fight.
CS: What kind of research did you have to do for this book, and how did you go about meshing together fictional aspects and nonfictional ones?
PN: Most of my research on this episode of history came from three books that pertain to the ancient history of what is now known as Viet Nam. I struck up a correspondence with the author of one of those books, named Nam C. Kim, and worked with him extensively on building up a base of knowledge about this period. Beyond that, I have several documents in Vietnamese translated into English, and of course I worked from sources that included individual chapters on the Trung Sisters. As far as meshing it together with fiction, that was the task before me over the span of about 4-5 years, in which I tried to balance the mythic dimension of the story with a kind of contemporary psychological realism. I had to choose many times between the contemporaneous historical Chinese account and the national myth of Vietnam, so adding a fictional dimension felt like just making another narrative choice except instead of choosing between history and myth, I was choosing invention.
CS: The story is about fighting for and taking pride in one’s country and home. Besides this, what do you hope people experience from your book? How do you hope they feel or react after they read it?
“One thing I hope that people take away from the story is that the power of women is not new, nor is it an invention of the Western progressive tradition. It is deeply ingrained in civilizations around the world”
PN: One thing I hope that people take away from the story is that the power of women is not new, nor is it an invention of the Western progressive tradition. It is deeply ingrained in civilizations around the world, but especially in the ancient history of Viet Nam. I would hope that readers come away from reading the book inspired, or at the very least with a greater acceptance of women leaders and leadership.
CS: You’ve written many genres, from historical and experimental fiction to alternate history to dirty realism. What is your purpose for writing such multifaceted and versatile stories?
PN: In order for me to get excited about a new book project, it needs to be a departure from everything else I've done. If it's not a departure, it feels stagnant. When it represents an exciting new direction, then I find it easier to throw myself full-body into the next project and focus on it exclusively. I also enjoy writers, like Italo Calvino, for whom every book is a different sort of adventure; so that is the kind of writer that I aspire to be.
CS: You’ll be at Eau Claire’s L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library this Monday, Oct. 10, at 6pm for an author reading and conversation. What do you hope to discuss or share with the people coming? What do you hope to accomplish with the event?
PN: I hope to entertain and even inspire people. But more importantly, I hope to share this journey with like-minded people who take an interest in history, literature, or storytelling in general. I'm open to discussing any questions about the book, or writing fiction, or the writer's life. I live for this stuff!
CS: What advice do you have for anyone wishing to write historical fiction like the Bronze Drum?
PN: Know yourself. Stay curious. In your dark moments of doubt, just remember what a blessing and a gift it is to be sentient and literate-- to be capable of this strange striving to create literary art.
Click here for more information on Nguyen’s reading and presentation at the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library at 6pm, Monday, Oct. 10. Books will be available for purchase.