Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century

In commemoration of the 98th anniversary of Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day (June 21, 1925 - June 21, 2023), Van Lang University Library and Vietnam Women’s Publishing House co-organized a talkshow introducing the book “Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century”. At the event, translator Y Khuong and journalist Le Hong Lam shared many impressive experiences drawn from their profession.

Talkshow “Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century” was hosted by two guests: Le Hong Lam, a journalist, film critic, and author of the books “Canh chim trong gio” (Wings in the wind), “101 bo phim Viet Nam hay nhat” (101 best Vietnamese films), “Nguoi tinh khong chan dung” (The Anonymous Lover), and speaker Y Khuong, the translator of the book “Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century”.

“Nomadland” is a book written by Jessica Bruder, which explores the lives of a woman living as a van-dwelling nomad, and her perspectives on life. In 2020, this book was adapted into a film of the same name, attracting a great deal of attention and earning many prestigious awards.

Journalist Le Hong Lam shared his deep inspiration with the audience, highlighting the book’s great worth in exploring the experience and thoughts of Americans. According to him, the book is not just a simple journey across America undertaken by the main character; it also embodies human values, breaking social prejudices, seeks freedom, ultimately discovering “the truth of life“ that each person 

Translator Y Khuong expressed that the most challenge in translating “Nomadland” lied in how to keep the full meaning and emotions of the original texts. One wrong word choice can completely change the meaning of a sentence or even the entire story. Despite being a non-fiction genre, the Vietnamese title carries a poetic quality: Cõi Người Dưng. Y Khuong explained that he was inspired by the title of the work "Cõi người ta" (Terre des Hommes) by poet and translator Bui Giang. The characters in “Nomadland” are all strangers to one another, meeting on the journey, finding warmth and meaning in life.

During the talkshow, students also had the opportunity to watch short excerpts from the movie “Nomadland” adapted from the book of the same name, and discussed with the speakers, gaining many valuable lessons and experiences. Journalist Le Hong Lam gently advised the students: “To live a life of freedom and independence, you should start pursuing your passions. It is through these deep passions inside that great aspirations are born, providing students the motivation to actively explore life.” Hopefully, the students will obtain a lot of valuable experiences and lessons from the program, thereby improving themself and being more confident on the journey to success.

News: Thu Ha
Images: Thanh Nhut