Monique Truong
Encyclopedia
Monique T.D. Truong is a Vietnamese American
writer
living in Brooklyn, New York. Truong left Vietnam for the United States
in 1975 and graduated from high school in Houston, Texas
. She served in the past as an associate fiction editor for the Asian Pacific American Journal, a literary publication of the Asian American Workshop based in New York City.
for the United States
as refugees of the Vietnam War
. Her father, a high level executive for an international oil company, initially stayed behind for work but later left the country as well after Saigon fell.
Truong completed her undergraduate studies at Yale University
, graduating in 1990 with a B.A. in English.
The Book of Salt
tells the story of Binh, a Vietnamese cook, who, after spending years in Paris
working for Gertrude Stein
and Alice B. Toklas
, must decide whether to travel with his employers to the United States
, return to Vietnam, or remain in France
. The book won the 2004 "Barbara Gittings
Book Award in Literature" from the American Library Association
.
Truong had the inspiration for this novel in college after she bought a copy of The Alice B. Toklas Cookbook
(1954) because she was interested in Toklas' famous hashish brownie recipe. Truong was intrigued to discover that Toklas and Stein had had two "Indo-Chinese" men who cooked for them at two of their French residences.
Taking place in the post WWI years in Paris, Truong uses the novel to explore the themes of sexuality, diaspora, race, and national identity.
One of Truong’s co-editors from the anthology Watermark suggested that she apply for a Van Lier fellowship, which allowed her to pay her expenses while taking off two months to write what would become The Book of Salt.
Vietnamese American
A Vietnamese American is an American of Vietnamese descent. They make up about half of all overseas Vietnamese and are the fourth-largest Asian American group....
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
living in Brooklyn, New York. Truong left Vietnam for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1975 and graduated from high school in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. She served in the past as an associate fiction editor for the Asian Pacific American Journal, a literary publication of the Asian American Workshop based in New York City.
Early life
Monique Truong was born on May 13, 1968, in Saigon, South Vietnam. In 1975, at the age of 6, she and her mother left VietnamVietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as refugees of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Her father, a high level executive for an international oil company, initially stayed behind for work but later left the country as well after Saigon fell.
Truong completed her undergraduate studies at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, graduating in 1990 with a B.A. in English.
Books
- Watermark: Vietnamese American poetry & prose, co-edited with Barbara Tran and Luu Truong Khoi (Asian American Writers’ Workshop, 1998)
- The Book of SaltThe Book of SaltThe Book of Salt by Monique Truong presents a narrative through the eyes of Binh, a Vietnamese cook. It tells his story predominantly in Paris and his hometown in Vietnam...
(Houghton-Mifflin, 2003) - Bitter in the Mouth (Random House, 2010)
The Book of Salt
The Book of Salt
The Book of Salt by Monique Truong presents a narrative through the eyes of Binh, a Vietnamese cook. It tells his story predominantly in Paris and his hometown in Vietnam...
tells the story of Binh, a Vietnamese cook, who, after spending years in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
working for Gertrude Stein
Gertrude Stein
Gertrude Stein was an American writer, poet and art collector who spent most of her life in France.-Early life:...
and Alice B. Toklas
Alice B. Toklas
Alice B. Toklas was an American-born member of the Parisian avant-garde of the early 20th century.-Early life, relationship with Gertrude Stein:...
, must decide whether to travel with his employers to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, return to Vietnam, or remain in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The book won the 2004 "Barbara Gittings
Barbara Gittings
Barbara Gittings was a prominent American activist for gay equality. She organized the New York chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from 1958 to 1963, edited the national DOB magazine The Ladder from 1963 to 1966, and worked closely with Frank Kameny in the 1960s on the first picket lines that...
Book Award in Literature" from the American Library Association
American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
.
Truong had the inspiration for this novel in college after she bought a copy of The Alice B. Toklas Cookbook
The Alice B. Toklas Cookbook
The Alice B. Toklas Cook Book, first published in 1954, is one of the bestselling cookbooks of all time. Written by Alice B. Toklas, writer Gertrude Stein's life partner, Toklas wrote this book as a favor to Random House to make up for her unwillingness at the time to write her memoirs, in...
(1954) because she was interested in Toklas' famous hashish brownie recipe. Truong was intrigued to discover that Toklas and Stein had had two "Indo-Chinese" men who cooked for them at two of their French residences.
Taking place in the post WWI years in Paris, Truong uses the novel to explore the themes of sexuality, diaspora, race, and national identity.
One of Truong’s co-editors from the anthology Watermark suggested that she apply for a Van Lier fellowship, which allowed her to pay her expenses while taking off two months to write what would become The Book of Salt.
Short fiction and essay publications
- Vietnam: Identities in Dialogue
- Bold Words: A Century of Asian American Writing
- An Interethnic Companion to Asian American Literature
- "Kelly"; "Notes to Dear Kelly", in Shawn Wong, ed., Asian American Literature: A Brief Introduction and Anthology (New York, Longman, 1995) pp. 288–293.
- "Kelly", in Amerasia Journal, 17.2 (1991)
- Yale University's The Vietnam Forum
Honors
- Van Lier Fellowship from the Asian American Writers' Workshop
- Lannan Foundation Writing Residency
- Residencies at the Liguria Study Center, YaddoYaddoYaddo is an artists' community located on a 400 acre estate in Saratoga Springs, New York. Its mission is "to nurture the creative process by providing an opportunity for artists to work without interruption in a supportive environment."...
, HedgebrookHedgebrookHedgebrook is a rural retreat for women writers on Whidbey Island, Washington, founded in 1988. Hedgebrook's artist in residency program accepts 40 writers each year, who spend 2 to 6 weeks in residence working on their diverse writing projects. Each writer stays in her own hand-crafted cottage....
, and the Fundacion Valparaiso - 2004 New York Public LibraryNew York Public LibraryThe New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
Young Lions Fiction Award Winner