Viet Thanh Nguyen is a Vietnamese-born American author and cultural commentator who is considered one of the leading voices in the urgent conversation around the immigrant experience.
Nguyen rose to international prominence with his debut novel, “The Sympathizer” (2015), which combines the suspense of a thriller with the prose of a literary master through the story of an army captain building a life in America after the fall of Saigon while secretly working as a communist double agent.
His memoir, “A Man of Two Faces” (2023), blends his personal narrative with history, cultural critique and literary experimentation to explore his life as a Vietnamese refugee in America. The memoir was also a finalist for the Baillie Gifford Prize and longlisted for the National Book Award.
A powerful advocate for immigrants and refugees and a passionate believer in the principles of community, Nguyen helped to build the nonprofit Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network and serves on the boards of the Pulitzer Prize and the International Rescue Committee.
He studied at UC Berkeley, where he earned undergraduate degrees in English and Ethnic Studies and a doctorate in English, and taught for nearly three decades at the University of Southern California, where he serves as University Professor and Aerol Arnold Chair of English.
Doors will open at 3:45 p.m., followed by the keynote event from 4 to 5:15 p.m., with a Q&A and book signing immediately afterward. This event is part of Cal Poly’s Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Initiatives.
It will be followed up by the Dream Center’s annual Migration Celebration community event on June 4, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the UU Plaza, featuring free food, merch, games, performances and opportunities to connect with campus resources.
