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Trung Le Nguyen

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Trung Le Nguyen
Author portrait of Trung Le Nguyen
Born (1990-06-02) June 2, 1990 (age 34)
Palawan, Philippines
NationalityAmerican
Other namesTrungles
EducationHamline University
OccupationCartoonist
Notable workThe Magic Fish
Websitetrungles.com

Trung Le Nguyen (born June 2, 1990), also known as Trungles, is a Vietnamese-American cartoonist. He is best known as the author of the graphic novel The Magic Fish, published by Random House Graphic in 2020.

Biography

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Early life and career

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Trung Le Nguyen was born in a Vietnamese refugee camp in the Philippines and moved to the United States as a child in 1992.[1] He began drawing comics in middle school but gave up the pastime in college, stating, "I never really thought to make it a career. It always seemed like this fluffy way for me to pass the time."[2] He graduated from Hamline University with a bachelor's degree in studio art with a minor in art history in 2012. Originally planning to pursue a career in arts administration, he instead chose to pursue a career in comics.[2] Nguyen's art is noted for its use of traditional inking and penciling[3] and references to Vietnamese imagery, shōjo manga, and classic children's literature.[4] He cites Rose O'Neill, Heinrich Lefler, and Harry Clarke among his influences.[2]

In 2017, Nguyen was a jurist for the Ignatz Awards.[5] Also in 2017 his coloring book Fauns & Fairies was published by Oni Press under their erotic comics imprint Limerence Press.[6] In 2018, he was an artist on the Image Comics romance comics anthology Twisted Romance, written by Alex de Campi.[7] In October 2020, Random House Graphic published Nguyen's debut graphic novel The Magic Fish.[8] The book, which follows a young Vietnamese gay immigrant and his parents who bond and learn English through fairy tale books, was inspired by Nguyen's upbringing.[4][8]

Personal life

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Nguyen is gay,[1] non-binary,[9] and uses pronouns he/they. He resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[10]

Selected bibliography

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Accolades

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Nguyen was nominated for a 2021 Eisner Award for Best Writer/Artist.[13] The Magic Fish won two 2021 Harvey Awards for Book of the Year and Best Children or Young Adult Book.[14] It was also named a top book on the American Library Association's Rainbow List in 2021,[15] and was selected as one of the best books of 2020 by The Globe and Mail,[16] the New York Public Library,[17] and Nerdist.[18]

References

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  1. ^ a b Gandhi, Lakshmi (October 10, 2020). "In many Asian languages, 'LGBTQ' doesn't translate. Here's how some fill the gaps". NBC News. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Snow, Cassandra (September 12, 2017). "Spotlight on the Arts: Trung Le Nguyen (or Trungles)". The Column. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  3. ^ Whtibrook, James (October 12, 2020). "A Young Boy Dreams of Fantastical Loves in This Gorgeous Look Inside The Magic Fish". Gizmodo. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Wang, Jen (November 4, 2020). "Watery Fairy Tales". The New York Times. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  5. ^ "Ignatz Award Nominations". Small Press Expo. August 17, 2017. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Houxbois, Véronique (July 18, 2017). "Queer Visibility Interview: Trungles Brings FAUNS AND FAIRIES to Life". Comicosity. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  7. ^ a b Sava, Oliver (January 29, 2018). "A princess flees her life of captivity in this Twisted Romance #4 exclusive". The A.V. Club. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  8. ^ a b McMillan, Graeme (March 6, 2020). "How a Cartoonist Found Inspiration for 'The Magic Fish'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  9. ^ Trung Lê Capecchi-Nguyễn [@Trungles] (January 23, 2022). "I'm non-binary. I don't really feel the need to explain it" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. ^ Balbastro, Jackie (December 4, 2020). "Interview with Trung Le Nguyen". Pine Reads Review. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  11. ^ Hampton, Jameson (July 6, 2020). "REVIEW: A Gorgeous Take on Fairytales: Trungles' Star Spinner Tarot". Women Write About Comics. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  12. ^ Sagers, Aaron (May 3, 2017). "Exclusive: S.M. Vidaurri's Adventure Time: Marshall Lee Spectacular Spotify playlist". SyFy. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  13. ^ "2021 Eisner Awards Nominations". June 8, 2021.
  14. ^ "Harvey Awards Reveal 2021 Winners". October 8, 2021.
  15. ^ "The 2021 Rainbow Book List". Rainbow Book List. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  16. ^ Cannon, Margaret; Canton, Jeffrey; Pereira, Judith; Rogers, Sean; Scott, Alec; Colbert, Jade (December 4, 2020). "The Globe 100: Our favourite books of 2020". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  17. ^ Pullen, Emily (November 24, 2020). "Introducing NYPL's Best Books of 2020". New York Public Library. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  18. ^ Knight, Rosie (December 7, 2020). "The Best Comics of 2020". Nerdist. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
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