Huynh, Quang Nhuong (1936-2001), Papers, 1956-2000 (C3997)
4.4 linear feet
INTRODUCTION
The papers of Huynh Quang Nhuong, a Vietnamese author who lived in Columbia, Missouri, consist mainly of Huynh’s writings and include drafts of plays, novels, short stories, poetry, and screenplays. The collection also includes photographs, newspaper clippings, book reviews, and correspondence with publishers, as well as fan letters from children regarding his book, The Land I Lost.
DONOR INFORMATION
The papers were donated to the University of Missouri by Connie Hendren on 10 June 2004, on behalf of Huynh Quang Nhuong’s sisters: Huynh Kim Phung, Huynh Thi Bach Van, Huynh Nguyet Minh, Huynh Thi Ngoc Suong, Huynh Thi Xuan Lan, and Huynh Thi Bach Yen (Accession No. 6042).
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Huynh Quang Nhuong was born in 1936 in My Tho, Vietnam to Huynh Kiem Thi (Dang) and Miu Van. He received his degree in Chemistry from Saigon University in 1962 before being drafted into the South Vietnamese Army. During the war, Huynh was hit by a bullet that left him permanently paralyzed. In 1969, he came to the United States for physical therapy. He stayed in the U.S. and studied at Long Island University where he earned an M.A. in Comparative Literature in 1971. In 1973, he earned a second M.A. in French from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Huynh remained in Columbia and began to focus on writing. Harper & Row published his first collection of children’s stories, The Land I Lost, in 1982. Based on Huynh’s childhood experiences in Vietnam, the book won several awards, including the William Allen White Children’s Book Award, the Friends of American Writers Award, and the Blue Cobra Award. The book was translated into German, French, Spanish, and Catalan.
During the 1990s, Huynh also gained recognition as a playwright, winning several awards. His plays were produced by such varied theatres as the Black Theatre Group in Berkeley, California; the Organic Theater Group in Chicago; the Northside Theater Company out of San Jose, California; and Stephens College in Columbia. In 1990, he received a Creative Writing Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Huynh’s second book, Water Buffalo Days, was published in 1997. He died in 2001.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
The Huynh Quang Nhuong Papers consist mainly of Huynh’s writings which include drafts of plays, novels, short stories, poetry, and screenplays. Some of the drafts are only fragments. Many of the prose and poetry drafts have been converted into plays and screenplays. The papers are arranged into five series:
For more information regarding his experiences during the Vietnam War and his literary influences, please consult the American Audio Prose Library (C3851), which contains an interview with Huynh along with a selection of readings from his works read by Sam Stowers and Bob Thompson.
FOLDER LIST
The Correspondence series has been arranged by class of correspondent and then chronologically and contains letters from children, educators, family, and friends, as well as professional correspondence from publishers, literary agents, and theatre groups. The children's letters include drawings based on The Land I Lost. The correspondence from family members has been written in Vietnamese, as have a couple of the letters from children. The professional correspondence includes a letter with a detailed evaluation of Huynh's unpublished novels "Broken Crutches" and "Silent Footsteps." Some of the professional correspondence is in French.
| f. 1 | Children and educators, 1983 |
| f. 2-3 | Children and educators, 1984 |
| f. 4-7 | Children and educators, 1985 |
| f. 8 | Children and educators, 1986-1987 |
| f. 9 | Children and educators, 1988-1989 January |
| f. 10 | Children and educators, 1989 February |
| f. 11 | Children and educators, 1992 |
| f. 12 | Children and educators, 1994 |
| f. 13-15 | Children and educators, 1995 |
| f. 16-17 | Children and educators, 1996 |
| f. 18 | Children and educators, 1997-1999 |
| f. 19 | Children and educators, 1999-2000 |
| f. 20 | Children and educators, n.d. |
| f. 21 | Family and friends, 1967-1969 |
| f. 22 | Family and friends, 1970-1979 |
| f. 23 | Family and friends, 1980 |
| f. 24 | Family and friends, 1981 |
| f. 25 | Family and friends, 1982-1988 |
| f. 26 | Family and friends, 1990-1995 |
| f. 27 | Family and friends, 1996-2000 |
| f. 28 | Family and friends, n.d. |
| f. 29 | Professional, 1978-1979 |
| f. 30 | Professional, 1980 |
| f. 31 | Professional, 1981 |
| f. 32 | Professional, 1982 |
| f. 33 | Professional, 1983 |
| f. 34 | Professional, 1984 |
| f. 35 | Professional, 1985 |
| f. 36 | Professional, 1986 |
| f. 37 | Professional, 1987 |
| f. 38 | Professional, 1988 |
| f. 39 | Professional, 1989 |
| f. 40 | Professional, 1990 |
| f. 41 | Professional, 1991 |
| f. 42-45 | Professional, 1992 |
| f. 46 | Professional, 1993 |
| f. 47-50 | Professional, 1994 |
| f. 51-55 | Professional, 1995 |
| f. 56-58 | Professional, 1996 |
| f. 59 | Professional, 1997-1998 |
| f. 60 | Professional, n.d. |
Arranged alphabetically, the Plays series contains drafts of plays written by Huynh, including "Rain in the Mountains and Lightning at Sea," "The Lonely Road Through the Jungle," and "Dance of the Wandering Souls." Many plays have been renamed over the course of drafts. "The White Dove with the Green Tail" was previously titled "Tam/Cam," "The Lonely Road Through the Jungle" was previously "Moonlit Inn," and "Pourquoi?" was previously "Two-Way Street."
The plays "Arbor House" and "The First Lady" combined to become "Why Don't You Stay a While Longer." "Neighing of a Stallion" was previously named "Shannon," "Variations of Blue," "Variations," and "Broken Crutches." The first draft of another play, "Two Generations One Injustice," was previously titled "South African Mother;" its entirely revamped second draft eventually became "Vietnamese Mother."
A number of the plays have also been collaborations with various friends and students from Stephens College, including "The Skateboard," "The White Dove with the Green Tail," "Out of the Darkness," and "A Prime Minister Must Never Take Off His Clothes in Front of His Queen."
| f. 61-62 | “Arbor House,” 1985 |
| f. 63-65 | “Broken Crutches,” 1993 |
| f. 66-67 | “Dance of the Wandering Souls,” 1991 |
| f. 68 | “Fiddler Crab,” 1995 |
| f. 69 | “The First Lady,” 1993 |
| f. 70 | “Hennissement D’un Etalon,” n.d. |
| f. 71 | “International Affairs,” 1992 |
| f. 72 | “It’s Lust Not Love,” 1992 |
| f. 73 | “The Lonely Road Through the Jungle,” 1992 |
| f. 74 | “ Moonlit Inn,” n.d. |
| f. 75-77 | “Neighing of a Stallion,” first draft, 1992 |
| f. 78-80 | “Neighing of a Stallion,” second draft, 1994 |
| f. 81-83 | “Neighing of a Stallion,” third draft, 1995 |
| f. 84-86 | “Neighing of a Stallion,” fourth draft, 1995 |
| f. 87-88 | “Nostalgia,” 1989 |
| f. 89-90 | “Out of the Darkness,” n.d. |
| f. 91 | “Pourquoi?”, 1986 |
| f. 92-94 | “A Prime Minister Must Never Take Off His Clothes in Front of His Queen,” 1993 |
| f. 95-96 | “Rain in the Mountains and Lightning at Sea,” 1990 |
| f. 97-98 | “Rain in the Mountains and Lightning at Sea,” 1992 |
| f. 99 | Script evaluations, 1987-1995 |
| f. 100-101 | “Shadow of the Moon,” 1990 |
| f. 102 | “Shadow of the Moon,” 1992 |
| f. 103-105 | “Shannon,” 1991 |
| f. 106-107 | “The Skateboard,” 1995 |
| f. 108 | “The Snake Pearl,” first draft, 1987 |
| f. 109 | “The Snake Pearl,” second draft, 1987 |
| f. 110 | “South African Mother,” 1995 |
| f. 111 | “South African Mother,” partial draft, n.d. |
| f. 112 | Synopses, n.d. |
| f. 113-114 | “Tam/Cam,” 1989 |
| f. 115-117 | “Teacher Frog,” long draft, 1995 |
| f. 118-119 | “Teacher Frog,” short draft, 1995 |
| f. 120 | Theatrical productions, 1986-1995 |
| f. 121 | “Two Generations One Injustice,” first draft, n.d. |
| f. 122 | “Two Generations One Injustice,” second draft, 1995 |
| f. 123 | “The Two-Way Street,” n.d. |
| f. 124 | “Understand,” 1992 |
| f. 125-127 | “Variations,” 1992 |
| f. 128-129 | “Variations of Blue,” c. 1991 |
| f. 130 | “Vietnamese Mother,” 1995 |
| f. 131-132 | “The White Dove with a Green Tail,” 1990 |
| f. 133-134 | “The White Dove with a Green Tail,” 1993 |
| f. 135-136 | “Why Don’t You Stay a While Longer?”, first draft, n.d. |
| f. 137-138 | “Why Don’t You Stay a While Longer?”, second draft, 1995 |
| f. 139-140 | Miscellaneous fragments, n.d. |
The Prose series has also been arranged alphabetically and contains short stories, folktales and novels written by Huynh. The series also contains German, Spanish, and French translations of The Land I Lost, as well as the English version. The unpublished novel "Sounds of a Distant Train" was previously entitled "Broken Crutches."
| f. 141-145 | “Broken Crutches,” novel, 1982 |
| f. 146-148 | “Broken Crutches,” novel, c. 1984 |
| f. 149-153 | “Broken Crutches,” novel, partial draft, 1986 |
| f. 154-165 | “Broken Crutches,” novel, miscellaneous fragments, n.d. |
| f. 166 | “Carpenter Curses,” short story, n.d. |
| f. 167-171 | “Catching Fish in the Rice Field,” folktales, partial draft, n.d. |
| f. 172 | “The Collar,” short story, n.d. |
| f. 173 | “Dried Hands,” short stories, first draft, n.d. |
| f. 174-175 | “Dried Hands,” short stories, second draft, 1996 |
| f. 176-179 | “Dried Hands,” short stories, third draft, n.d. |
| f. 180 | “Fiddler Crab,” short story, n.d. |
| f. 181 | “Fighting Crickets” and “What You See is What You Eat” (published), short stories, n.d. |
| f. 182 | “The Gray Python,” short story, drafts, n.d. |
| f. 183-185 | “It Rained on a Small Hamlet,” short stories, n.d. |
| f. 186 | “Lady Quang Am,” short story, n.d. |
| f. 187 | The Land I Lost (published), 1982 |
| f. 188 | “The Land I Lost,” short stories, partial draft, n.d. |
| f. 189 | “Love Bird,” short story, n.d. |
| f. 190 | Mein Verlorenes Land (published), 1986 |
| f. 191 | Mon Pays Perdu (published), 1984 |
| f. 192 | El País Que Yo Perdí (published), 1986 |
| f. 193 | “Pourquoi?”, short story, n.d. |
| f. 194 | “Rain in the Mountains and Lightning at Sea,” short story, n.d. |
| f. 195 | “The Seamstress and the Water Buffalo Guardian,” short story, n.d. |
| f. 196 | “Silent Footsteps,” novel, partial draft, n.d. |
| f. 197-202 | “Sounds of a Distant Train,” novel, c. 1995 |
| f. 203 | “The Spirit of the Mountain and the Spirit of the Sea,” short story, n.d. |
| f. 204 | “Tchen Yi,” short story, n.d. |
| f. 205-206 | “Teacher Frog,” short story, first draft, n.d. |
| f. 207 | “Teacher Frog,” short story, second draft, n.d. |
| f. 208 | “The Tiger Lady,” short story, n.d. |
| f. 209 | “Vietnamese Mother,” short story, n.d. |
| f. 210 | Miscellaneous fragments, n.d. |
The Other Writings series contains Huynh's poetry and screenplays arranged alphabetically.
| f. 211-214 | “Broken Crutches,” screenplay, 1993 |
| f. 215-216 | “The Coat of White Swan Feathers,” poem, n.d. |
| f. 217 | “Moonlit Little Inn,” poem, n.d. |
| f. 218 | Poetry, 1986, n.d. |
| f. 219-220 | “Silent Footsteps,” screenplay, first draft, 1993 |
| f. 221-222 | “Silent Footsteps,” screenplay, second draft, 1993 |
| f. 223-224 | “Songs of the Two Continents,” poetry collection, partial draft, n.d. |
| f. 225 | “The Snake Pearl,” poem, first draft, n.d. |
| f. 226 | “The Snake Pearl,” poem, second draft, n.d. |
The Miscellaneous series has been arranged alphabetically and consists of book reviews of The Land I Lost, newspaper clippings, photographs, awards, Vietnamese sheet music, and college essays, along with guidelines for playwriting contests and newsletters from various theatre groups. Also included in the series are diplomas, grade reports, and materials documenting the immigration process of Huynh and his family. The immigration records include translations of Vietnamese birth certificates. The college essays are mostly written in French. The newspaper clippings contain editorials written by Huynh on apartheid.
The series also contains the acceptance speech for the William Allen White Children's Book Award given in Huynh's stead by Vo-Dinh Mai, the illustrator of The Land I Lost. The miscellaneous folder contains Huynh's resume, lists of stories, a brief biographical sketch, miscellaneous Vietnamese documents, and a poem written by Lou Jobst for Huynh entitled "Finding Lost Lands."
| f. 227 | Artistic statements, 1994-1995, n.d. |
| f. 228 | Awards and recognitions, 1967-1995 |
| f. 229 | Book reviews, 1982-1986 |
| f. 230-234 | College essays, n.d. |
| f. 235 | Education, 1956-1974 |
| f. 236 | Immigration, 1966-1995 |
| f. 237 | The Land I Lost promotional materials, n.d. |
| f. 238 | Miscellaneous theatre newsletters and promotional materials, 1994-1996 |
| f. 239 | Newspaper clippings, 1980-1995, n.d. |
| f. 240 | Photographs, 1967-1995, n.d. |
| f. 241 | Royalty earnings statements, 1987-1999 |
| f. 242 | Submission guidelines for playwriting contests, 1990-1999, n.d. |
| f. 243 | Vietnamese sheet music, 1964-1974 |
| f. 244 | Vietnamese sheet music, n.d. |
| f. 245 | William Allen White Children’s Book Award acceptance speech, 1985 |
| f. 246 | Miscellaneous, 1980-1994, n.d. |
INDEX TERMS
These index terms are the subjects, people, places, etc. under which this collection is listed in all available indexes at the Western Historical Manuscript Collection-Columbia. If you are interested in a specific index term, please contact the reference staff.
| Index Terms | Location |
| Apartheid--Attitudes toward | f. 239 |
| Ayers, Heather | f. 26-28, 78-80 |
| Ayers, Heather | f. 240 (pictorial material) |
| Children--Correspondence | f. 1-20 |
| Children's drawings | f. 1, 4, 7, 13-15, 17-20 |
| Children's plays | f. 66-68, 73, 74, 87, 88, 92-94, 100-102, 108, 109, 113-119, 131-134 |
| Fiction | f. 141-165, 196-202 |
| Folklore--Vietnam | f. 167-171 |
| Huynh, Quang Nhuong (1936-2001) | f. 1-237, 239, 241, 245, 246 |
| Huynh, Quang Nhuong (1936-2001) | f. 240 (pictorial material) |
| Huynh, Quang Nhuong (1936-2001)--The Land I Lost | f. 1-20, 29-39, 187, 188, 190-192, 227, 229, 237, 239, 245 |
| Huynh, Quang Nhuong (1936-2001)--The Land I Lost | f. 240 (pictorial material) |
| Motion picture plays | f. 211-214, 219-222 |
| Plays | f. 61-140 |
| Poetry | f. 215-218, 223-226 |
| Publishers and publishing | f. 29-42, 46-50, 52-60 |
| Sheet music--Vietnam | f. 243, 244 |
| Short stories | f. 166, 172-195, 203-210 |
| Theater | f. 35-60, 120, 242, 246 |
| Theater--Production and direction | f. 120 |
| Vietnam--Immigration and emigration | f. 236 |
| Warren, Robert O. | f. 29-35, 38, 40, 42, 46, 47, 49, 50 |
| Yeargain-Unger, Jane | f. 240 (pictorial material) |
| Yeargain-Unger, Jane | f. 23, 28 |
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