In works of piercing beauty and heartrending grace, in poetry and prose, OCEAN VUONG has become one of his generation’s most necessary and unforgettable literary voices. Now, with The Emperor of Gladness, he returns with a bighearted second novel. One summer evening in post-industrial Connecticut, 19-year-old Hai stands on the edge of a bridge in pelting rain, ready to jump, when he hears someone shout across the river. The voice belongs to Grazina, an elderly widow succumbing to dementia, who convinces him to take another path. Bereft and out of options, he quickly becomes her caretaker. Over the course of the year, the unlikely pair develops a life-altering bond. With his singular ability to twin grit with grace through tenderness, Vuong will discuss the novel and his writing with SVWC Literary Director JOHN BURNHAM SCHWARTZ.

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