The Vietnamese Gulag
Encyclopedia
The Vietnamese Gulag is the autobiography of the Vietnamese pro-democracy activist Doan Van Toai
. The book focuses specifically on his arrest and imprisonment by the Communist Vietnamese government, events which precipitated a change in his political belief from luke-warm communist to advocate of democracy
.
Writing in the New York Times, Robert Shaplan said that the book "is reminiscent, at its best, of E. E. Cummings
's Enormous Room
and Arthur Koestler
's Darkness at Noon
." Shaplan also notes that the book's "value derives from [the author] having been one of the first Vietnamese to write effectively of his experience, and to describe what he calls 'the method of the betrayal' of his revolutionary hopes and ideals." John P Roche, who reviewed the book for the Los Angeles Times
, called the narrative "moving" and "written with a striking lack of self-pity".
The Vietnamese Gulag was originally written in French (Le Goulag Vietnamien) and published in 1979. A German translation followed in 1980. The English translation was published in 1986 and generally met with critical approval.
Doan Van Toai
Doan Van Toai is author of The Vietnamese Gulag. It was published in 1986 by Simon and Schuster Publishing Group, New York , 351 pp....
. The book focuses specifically on his arrest and imprisonment by the Communist Vietnamese government, events which precipitated a change in his political belief from luke-warm communist to advocate of democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
.
Writing in the New York Times, Robert Shaplan said that the book "is reminiscent, at its best, of E. E. Cummings
E. E. Cummings
Edward Estlin Cummings , popularly known as E. E. Cummings, with the abbreviated form of his name often written by others in lowercase letters as e.e. cummings , was an American poet, painter, essayist, author, and playwright...
's Enormous Room
The Enormous Room
The Enormous Room is a 1922 autobiographical novel by the poet and novelist E. E. Cummings about his temporary imprisonment in France during World War I....
and Arthur Koestler
Arthur Koestler
Arthur Koestler CBE was a Hungarian author and journalist. Koestler was born in Budapest and, apart from his early school years, was educated in Austria...
's Darkness at Noon
Darkness at Noon
Darkness at Noon is a novel by the Hungarian-born British novelist Arthur Koestler, first published in 1940...
." Shaplan also notes that the book's "value derives from [the author] having been one of the first Vietnamese to write effectively of his experience, and to describe what he calls 'the method of the betrayal' of his revolutionary hopes and ideals." John P Roche, who reviewed the book for the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, called the narrative "moving" and "written with a striking lack of self-pity".
The Vietnamese Gulag was originally written in French (Le Goulag Vietnamien) and published in 1979. A German translation followed in 1980. The English translation was published in 1986 and generally met with critical approval.