Outhine Bounyavong (1942–2000)

A short collection of very short stories, all set in Laos in the second half of the twentieth century and most of them written during the period of one-party Communist rule in the country. This context probably helps to explain at least in part the sparse, moralising syle of Outhine Bounyavong's writing—hiding any critique of the regime beneath layers of more overt didacticism. I can understand why Bounyavong would make those kinds of choices as a writer, but they did raise a barrier for show more me as a reader who knows very little about Laos. Undoubtedly those with more familiarity with the country and its history will find more to enjoy and appreciate here. show less

Laos

171 pages (of which 88 read in English, the rest in Lao)

The author's name also appears transliterated on the Cataloging-in-Publication data as Uthin Bunnyāvong.

This bilingual collection of short stories by Outhine Bounyavon is the first to be published in English. The stories, as well as Peter Koret's helpful introductory essay, "Contemporary Lao Literature," are presented in bilingual Lao/U.S. English facing pages. Since the essay describes what happens in several of the stories, show more leave it for after reading the collection.

Outhine's stories are likely to strike the Western reader as slightly alien in structure. Their linguistic style can't really be assessed; the translation, at least, is a little clunky. The stories tend toward moral themes such as the rightness of respect, kindness, and honesty. They are not particularly nuanced. This collection gives the reader a good sense of how s/he might structure a story to tell to a Laotian listener. My favorite, "Father's Friend," is, perhaps, about both compassion and seeing the world differently. Many of the stories, though I don't disagree with their morals, are somewhat soppy; again, this may convey some cultural information.

Having read this collection, I would be interested to read something like Bounsang Khamkeo's [b:I Little Slave A Prison Memoir from Communist Laos|598750|I Little Slave A Prison Memoir from Communist Laos|Bounsang Khamkeo|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1347236461s/598750.jpg|585373] to broaden my understanding of the author's, and stories', context. show less