The Sorrow of War
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Core Metadata
Title: The Sorrow of War
Creator: Bảo Ninh
Local Name: Nỗi buồn chiến tranh
Countries: Vietnam
Date Created: 1990 (Vietnamese edition)
Date Acquired: 1990
Description: A groundbreaking Vietnamese war novel that follows Kien, a North Vietnamese soldier, haunted by memories of the Vietnam War. Its fragmented structure reflects trauma, memory, and love lost. Considered one of the most influential war novels of modern world literature.
Language: Vietnamese (translated into English, French, Japanese, others)
Type: Historical Fiction / War Novel
Format: Print (Book), eBook
Identifier: ISBN 1573225436 (English edition, 1993)
Rights: © Bảo Ninh
License: Standard library lending / educational use
Link source: Click
Libraries Metadata
Author: Bảo Ninh
Publisher: Văn Nghệ Publishing House (Hanoi, 1990); Pantheon Books (English, 1993)
Publication Date: 1990 (VN), 1993 (EN)
Edition: First edition (Vietnamese), English translation by Phan Thanh Hao & Frank Palmos
ISBN/ISSN: 1573225436
Call Number: PL4382.B36 N65 1990
Table of Contents: Non-linear chapters reflecting Kien’s war experiences and postwar trauma
Genre: Vietnamese Literature / War Fiction
Catalog URL: Library of Congress Catalog
Preservation Metadata
Preservation Status: Archived in National Library of Vietnam, Library of Congress, ASEAN academic libraries
Preservation History: Published 1990; banned temporarily; later republished and translated worldwide
Retention Policy: Long-term archival preservation
Archival Location: National Library of Vietnam; ASEAN university libraries
Backup Status: Digital and translation archives available
Relational Metadata
Parent Collection: Vietnamese War Literature
Sub Collections: Postwar Trauma Narratives, Southeast Asian Fiction
Related Items: The Sympathizer (Viet Thanh Nguyen, 2015)
Accessibility Metadata
Accessibility Features: eBook (screen-reader), audiobook editions available
Accessibility Compliance: ADA-compliant digital formats accessible via OverDrive/Bookshare
Legal Metadata
Copyright Status: In copyright
Copyright Holder: Bảo Ninh / Văn Nghệ Publishing House
License Terms: Standard publishing rights
Jurisdiction: Vietnam
Cultural Metadata
Cultural Significance: First major war novel from unified Vietnam written by a Northern veteran. Acclaimed worldwide; briefly banned in Vietnam but later accepted.
Cultural Context: Postwar Đổi Mới reforms (1986 onward); explores reconciliation, memory, and the costs of war.
Usage Metadata
Access Statistics: Frequently borrowed and cited in libraries worldwide
Citation Information: Bảo Ninh. Nỗi buồn chiến tranh (The Sorrow of War). Hanoi: Văn Nghệ Publishing House, 1990. English trans. Pantheon, 1993. ISBN 1573225436.
User Feedback: Acclaimed for its emotional honesty and innovative style; a global classic of war literature
Educational Metadata
Educational Use: Commonly studied in Vietnam War literature and Southeast Asian studies courses
Curriculum Alignment: Asian Studies, Comparative Literature, War Studies
Learning Objectives: 1.Understand Vietnamese perspectives on the war 2.Analyze trauma and fragmented narrative structures 3.Compare with Western war literature
GEO Spatial Metadata
Location: Hanoi, Vietnam
Countries: Vietnam
Technical Metadata
File Format: Print, eBook (EPUB/PDF), Audiobook (MP3)
Bitrate: Codec / File Size: Varies
Temporal Metadata
Date Range: 1960s–1980s (Vietnam War & aftermath)
Event Date: 1990 (VN publication); 1993 (EN translation)