2008: Nam Le, The Boat

Nam Le’s breath-taking short story collection, The Boat, was both personal and global in its scope, and has been widely praised for its grace and ‘incisive, memorable prose.’

Born in Vietnam, Nam Le grew up in Australia and initially worked as a lawyer before turning to writing. He has held fellowships with the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, the Bellagio Center, the Bogliasco Foundation, the Camargo Foundation, Civitella Ranieri, Santa Maddalena, and other places.

The Boat has been a massive success internationally, translated into fifteen languages while winning multiple awards including the Australian Prime Minister’s Literary Award, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award and the PEN/Malamud Award. 

Synopsis - 'The Boat'

The Boat takes the reader on an unforgettable journey, far across the globe and deep into the lives of a handful of its citizens.

Whether a hitman in Colombia, an aging New York painter, or a young girl stranded in the South Cina Sea, each of Le's characters struggles, in the face of profound personal and historical pressures, to maintain control of their lives.

Through their stories, the world both opens out and rushes in. The Boat is a remarkable debut, full of humanity, showing again and again how we are all ultimately connected to each other.