Van Nghe(Literature and Art), Editor Nguyen Ngoc Removed
- Artist/Author/Producer: Nguyen Ngoc, editor
- Confronting Bodies: Vietnamese Government
- Dates of action: December, 1988
- Location: Hanoi, Vietnam
- Description of the Art Work
- A series of articles published in Van Nghe (Literature and Art), a
weekly magazine of the Vietnamese Writers' Association, which "...
challenged perceptions about some prominent Vietnamese historical
figures...
"... It was the publication of three short stories by Nguyen Huy
Thiep, the most controversial writer in Vietnam today, that got (the
editor, Nguyen Ngoc) into trouble. The stories--"Sharp Sword," "Golden
Fire," and "Virginity"--included favorable references to Gia Long, who is
commonly vilified as the 19th-century King who opened up Vietnam to
French colonialism. Thiep also depicted Emperor Quang Trung, who is
glorified in Vietnamese history for routing a Chinese occupying army in
1789, as having human frailties... "
- Description of incident
- Although no official reason was given, Van Nghe's editor was
removed, presumably because of the stories published. The publication
prompted strong reactions from both supporters and critics. The critics
said Thiep,"wasn't respectful to Vietnamese history and attempted to
overthrow the cherished ideals of the Vietnamese people." The supporters
of both Thiep and Ngoc on the other hand "... insisted the stories were
only 'pseudo-historical, ' so that Thiep's imagination should be allowed
literary license... "
- Results of incident
- "... In February, two months after Ngoc was removed, party leader
Linh warned media heads in Ho Chi Min City to tone down criticism of the
government... "
Linh told the press that despite liberalisation of the past year its job was still
to serve the party. "The press must reflect the people as a people's voice, but it is also a
tool of the party. As such, it must speak for the party and the state to the people... "
Source: Murray Hiebert, "One Step Backward," Far Eastern Economic Review, May 4,
1989, pg. 15