1 Contemporary Literature, 1970 to Present
Caliban in Blue (1976), The Flying Dutchman (1987), Rafting the Brazos (1988),
After the Noise of Saigon (1988), Night Landings (1989), Where Skies Are Not Cloudy
(1993), Counting Survivors (1995), Blessings the Body Gave (1998), Climbing the
Divide (2003), A Thousand Miles of Stars (2004), and Faith Is a Radical Master
(2005).
W. S. Merwin (1927– )
Poet and translator who won Pulitzer Prizes for The Carrier of Ladders (1970) and
The Shadow of Sirius (2008).
Andrew X. Pham (1967– )
Writer who was born in Vietnam and immigrated to the United States with his
family after the war. His memoir, Catf ish and Mandala, was the winner of the
1999 Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Prize. He has also written a biography of his
father, The Eaves of Heaven: A Life in Three Wars (2008), and a translation of Last
Night I Dreamed of Peace: The Diary of Thuy Dang Tram (2007).
Aimee Phan (1977– )
Fiction writer whose parents immigrated to California from Vietnam before she
was born. Her collection of interrelated stories, We Should Never Meet (2004), was
named a Notable Book by the Kiriyama Prize in fiction and a finalist for the 2005
Asian American Literary Awards.
David Rabe (1940– )
Playwright best known for The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel (1969), Sticks and
Bones (1972; revised, 1979), The Orphan (1975), and Streamers (1975). He received
a Tony Award for best play for Sticks and Bones in 1972. His works are influenced
by his experiences in Vietnam, where he served for two years.
Muriel Rukeyser (1913–1980)
Poet who was politically and socially active throughout her life. Her works
include The Gates (1976) and The Collected Poems (1978).
Dao Strom (1973– )
Fiction writer and folksinger who was born in Saigon, which she left in 1975.
Her books include a novel, Grass Roof, Tin Roof (2003), and a collection of sto-
ries, The Gentle Order of Girls and Boys (2006); her first album is Send Me Home
(2004).
Wallace Terry (1938–2003)
Journalist who wrote and worked for The Washington Post and Time. He was
also one of the founders of USA Today. He wrote the Pulitizer Prize–nominated
BLOODS: An Oral History of the Vietnam War (1984).
Lynda Van Devanter (1947–2002)
Writer and activist. In 1980 she established the Women’s Project with the Viet-
nam Veterans of America. Her experience as an army nurse during the Vietnam
War is the source for her memoir, Home before Morning (1983).