A Time Far Past

First edition in English. 8vo. Pp. xxiv, 272. Beige cloth boards, lettered in black to spine; maroon endpapers. Jacket art: Li Tri Dung, The Confucian Scholar.

Translated from the Vietnamese by Ngo Vinh Hai, Nguyen Ba Chung, Kevin Bowen and David Hunt. Originally published in Viet Nam in 1986 by Tac Pham Moi (now known as Hoi Nha Van), it went on to win the country's national prize for fiction, selling more than 120,000 copies in the process.

An epic novel that presents a sweeping portrait of war and peace in northern Viet Nam from the defeat of the French to the mid-1980s. The main character is the son of a Confucian scholar in the rural Red River delta, and covers his early childhood through his decorated service during the American War, ending in his efforts to adapt to the post-war world of urban Hanoi. A critically acclaimed film adaptation, directed by Hο Quang Minh, was released in 2003.

"This is a lucid and readable translation. It will appeal to a variety of audiences, including historians, literary critics, students, and the general public." –Qui-Phiet Tran, Schreiner College