Literature is a bridge of friendship.

At a recent online workshop titled "Written Memories," organized by the 2025 Ink Heritage competition, writer Wayne Karlin interacted and exchanged valuable experiences and perspectives on writing with young Vietnamese writers.

Writer Wayne Karlin, born in 1945 in New York, is the author of many novels such as *The Vanishing Armies*, *The Cutting Line*, *For Us*, *The Supporting Role*, *Genizah*... (Photo: Ha Anh)

For many Vietnamese people, Wayne Karlin is a special writer because, as a former American soldier who fought in the Vietnam War, he made significant contributions to introducing contemporary Vietnamese literature to the world .

Since the 1990s, he has been involved in editing and promoting the publication of numerous translations of novels, short stories, and memoirs by many Vietnamese authors such as Nguyen Khai, Le Minh Khue, Ho Anh Thai, Da Ngan, Nguyen Huy Thiep, Ma Van Khang, Doan Le, Tran Van Thuy, etc. These books were published by prestigious American publishers and left a lasting impression on readers.

Notably, he contributed to and co-edited the first anthology of short stories by American veterans who fought in Vietnam, titled "Free Fire Zone ." Published in 1973, this work clearly illustrates the suffering and losses that war inflicted on both Vietnamese and Americans. Even more valuable is that all the royalties from the book were donated to peace projects, including a fund to help rebuild Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi – a site bombed by the US in 1972.

Sharing at the conference, he recalled a life-changing event: a meeting with Vietnamese writers at the Summer Writing Program at the William Joiner Center, University of Massachusetts, in 1993. When he heard writer Le Minh Khue recount her years as a volunteer youth in Quang Tri , near Khe Sanh, he immediately remembered the moments he had flown over that area with the harsh orders to fire.

As a veteran, in later years he worked with writers Le Minh Khue and Truong Vu to compile a manuscript of short stories titled "The Other Side of Heaven," which brought together voices from multiple sides of the war: veterans of the North Vietnamese army, veterans of the Republic of Vietnam army, and American veterans.

The anthology, published by Curbstone Press in 1995, was selected by the American Literary Critics Association as one of the best anthologies of the year. All royalties from the book's publication in the first two years were donated to the Obstetrics Department of Hue Hospital and later contributed to Project Renew, an organization that clears unexploded ordnance in Quang Tri.

From 1995 to 2010, as editor-in-chief of the "Voices from Viet Nam" series published by Curbstone, Wayne Karlin edited and promoted the publication of many valuable works of contemporary Vietnamese literature. In particular, he and writer Ho Anh Thai co-edited the anthology "Love After War: Contemporary Fiction from Viet Nam"—a collection of short stories by 45 Vietnamese authors, published in 2003—which significantly boosted the promotion of Vietnamese literature.

Now, at the age of 80, his health doesn't allow him to return to Vietnam often, but he still reads Vietnamese literary works and introduces them to his readers and friends.

He believed that the most important qualities of a writer were deep emotion, perseverance, and a beautiful character. Recalling his time fighting in Vietnam, he shared: “In war, people have to bury their humanity, because once they see it, they can’t go on. Just a moment of recognizing each other as human beings, and empathy will emerge, breaking through the indifference that war creates. At that point, how can we still bring ourselves to kill?”

He advised young Vietnamese writers: "Keep a diary to preserve fragments of life, even if it's just a ray of sunshine. Remember the words and manner of speaking of those around you and write them down, because that will be valuable material for your writing later."

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/van-chuong-la-cau-noi-tinh-huu-nghi-309045.html