Description
Book SynopsisDrawing on vernacular Vietnamese and classical Chinese sources, Ang identifies the different ways two leading statesmen of the time employed literature to transform the frontier region. This book captures a historical moment of overlapping visions, frustrated schemes, and contested desires on the Mekong plains.
Trade ReviewAng makes a major contribution to the field of Vietnamese studies as a whole, showing that even the diverse, ever-changing, contested Mekong frontier was deeply connected to a broader and older literary tradition. These texts are challenging to translate, and few scholars have the language skills and historical knowledge to do them justice. Ang does so successfully, and with style. -- Kathlene Baldanza * Journal of Asian Studies *
An extremely large-scale piece of research, both intricate and many-faceted, and this research is carried out with admirable skill, thoroughness, and respect for veracity…This study is among the very finest that I have ever read on the history of Vietnam. Reading it greatly enhanced my understanding of the period it deals with. The book deserves the widest possible attention. -- Eric Henry * China Review International *
