When Nam Le’s debut book of short stories, The Boat, came out in 2008, it was met with unanimous praise and scooped up awards from around the world. Now, 16 years later, Nam has produced his follow up called 36 Ways to Write A Vietnamese Poem. This week, Michael sits down with Nam to discuss his latest work and the importance of violence in his conception of poetry and language.

Reading list:

The Boat, Nam Le, 2008

On David Malouf, Nam Le, 2019

36 Ways of Writing a Vietnamese Poem, Nam Le, 2014

What Happened to Nina?, Dervla McTiernan, 2024

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Nam Le

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