40 Men and 12 Rifles

“40 Men and 12 Rifles is a fascinating look at a troubling and complex time, and Truong’s art has an appealingly clean, direct style, while his writing conveys wit and heart. Both affirming and chilling.”
–Kirkus Reviews

“A work of magnificently researched and crafted historical fiction … In expressive rose- and sepia-toned comics, Truong brings midcentury Vietnam to life, from cosmopolitan Hanoi with its streets full of pedicabs and French-style cafes to lush rural landscapes and bombed-out war zones. This is a Vietnam war story like no other.”
–Publishers Weekly (STARRED REVIEW)

“Deeply researched and richly illustrated.”
–Publishers Weekly

“The story, drawing, details, and authenticity of the entire book are remarkable and will be considered a milestone.”
–Ligne Claire

“With a style close to ‘poetic realism, ’ Truong brilliantly succeeds in his great leap into fiction, while upholding the precision of historical narrative.”
–Le Telegramme

“Marcelino Truong’s graphic novel is a work of genius, with striking and cleverly constructed graphics, compelling dialogue, and brilliant anecdotes. A real pleasure to read and destined to become a classic.”
–Christopher E. Goscha, professor of world history at the Universite du Quebec a Montreal, and author of The Road to Dien Bien Phu, for L’Histoire

Marcelino Truong is a French Vietnamese painter, illustrator, and author whose previous books include Such a Lovely Little War: Saigon 1961–63 and Saigon Calling: London 1963–75. Born in 1957, the son of a Vietnamese diplomat in the Philippines, he and his family moved to the US and then to Vietnam at the outset of the war. He attended the French Lycée in London, then moved to Paris, where he earned degrees in law at the Paris Institute of Political Studies and in English literature at the Sorbonne. He lives in St-Malo, France.

David Homel (translator) is a writer, journalist, filmmaker, and translator, and the author of nine novels. He has translated many French-language books into English and is a two-time recipient of the Governor General’s Literary Award for Translation. He lives in Montreal.

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