Episodes
| Episode | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 20120626 | 20120625 (R4) | Ru'. In Vietnamese it means lullaby, in French it is a small stream, but also signifies a flow - of tears, blood, money. Kim Thuy's 'Ru' is literature at its most crystalline; the flow of a life on the tides of unrest and on to more peaceful waters Kim Thuy was one of the refugees who fled from Vietnam by boat. This is her haunting lullaby to the country of her birth and a letter of heartfelt thanks to Canada, her new homeland. Winner of the Governor General's prize when it was first published in French, it has now been translated into English. Read by the French actress Elodie Yung, who recently starred in the film of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Abridged and Produced by Jane Marshall Productions. A Jane Marshall Production for BBC Radio 4. A haunting lullaby of Vietnam and a love letter to a new homeland in Canada. Readings from modern classics, new works by leading writers and world literature |
| 02 | 20120626 | Having arrived safely at a refugee camp in Malaysia, Kim prepares for a new life. From all the mornings with this impromptu English teacher I remembered only one sentence: My boat number is KG0338. Ru' is written by Kim Thuy, read by Elodie Yung and abridged and produced by Jane Marshall Productions. A Jane Marshall Production for BBC Radio 4. Readings from modern classics, new works by leading writers and world literature | |
| 03 | 20120627 | My parents often remind my brothers and me that they won't have any money for us to inherit but I think they've already passed on to us the wealth of their memories, which allows us to grasp the beauty of a flowering wisteria, the delicacy of a word, the power of wonder. Ru is written by Kim Thuy, read by Elodie Yung and abridged and produced by Jane Marshall Productions A Jane Marshall Production for BBC Radio 4. Since our escape from Vietnam by boat we learned how to travel light'. Readings from modern classics, new works by leading writers and world literature | |
| 04 | 20120628 | My grandmother had to choose between the risk of losing her son at sea and finding him torn to shreds in a mine field in Cambodia. She had to choose without hesitating, without trembling. Perhaps it was to control her fear that she started to pray. Ru is written by Kim Thuy, read by Elodie Yung and abridged and produced by Jane Marshall Productions A Jane Marshall Production for BBC Radio 4. Kim's grandmother faces the choice of risking losing her son at sea or to a Cambodian mine Readings from modern classics, new works by leading writers and world literature | |
| 05 | 20120629 | My emotional memory vanished during the early years of childhood. That detachment, that distance, allows me to buy without scruple a pair of shoes whose price in my native land would be enough to feed a family of five for a whole year. The sales person just has to promise me, you'll walk on air. Ru is written by Kim Thuy, Read by Elodie Yung and abridged and produced by Jane Marshall Productions. A Jane Marshall Production for BBC Radio 4. Kim describes the emotional detachment that allows her to buy a pair of expensive shoes. Readings from modern classics, new works by leading writers and world literature |