The Sorrow of War

The Sorrow of War (Vietnamese: Nỗi buồn chiến tranh), formerly titled The Destiny of Love (Thân phận của tình yêu), is a novel by Vietnamese writer Bảo Ninh. Written in 1987, the work was first published in Vietnam in 1990. The story follows Kiên, a romantic and idealistic young man whose life is upended by the brutal vortex of war. After witnessing immense loss and death, Kiên is left haunted and isolated, struggling to reintegrate into civilian life during peacetime. The Sorrow of War has received high acclaim from writers and scholars both domestically and internationally. Departing from the traditional epic heroism of previous Vietnamese literature, the novel sparked intense controversy among critics and the public upon its release. By 2016, it had become the most translated and published Vietnamese novel in the international book market. Excerpts from the book were also included in the 12th-grade literature textbook for high schools in Vietnam. Alongside Nguyễn Du's The Tale of Kiều, Bảo Ninh's The Sorrow of War is one of the two most widely recognized works of Vietnamese literature globally. It is also one of the few Vietnamese literary works held in the Nobel Library. The novel has earned Bảo Ninh numerous prestigious awards both in Vietnam and abroad.