An Italian paper called La Stampa used a photo of an Asian man who was not Ocean Vuong in an article about the writer.
Vuong, a poet and novelist is known by many for his debut novel On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous. He is a Vietnamese immigrant who grew up in Connecticut. He earned his BA in English at Brooklyn College and his M.F.A in poetry from New York University. In 2017, his poetry won the T.S. Elliot Prize.
La Stampa was covering the Italian translation of his second full-length volume of poetry Time is a Mother when they published the incorrect photo. In their print edition, an Asian man who is not Vuong appears to have been photoshopped in front of an ocean.
Vuong posted about the mistake on his Instagram.
“While I’m deeply touched that the Italian translation of Time Is A Mother got such wonderful coverage at La Stampa, it appears this poor Asian man on the cover has been forced to be the embodiment of heavily-enjambed poems on modern sadness and ontological degradation,” he wrote in his caption. “No light burden I’m sure. If you see him out there, please send him my sincerest apologies.”
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