'The Interview': Ocean Vuong Was Ready to Kill. Then a Moment of Grace Changed His Life.

Ocean Vuong, esteemed poet and novelist, discusses themes of kindness, cruelty, and the search for meaning beyond societal expectations. Drawing from his new novel, *The Emperor of Gladness*, and personal experiences working in fast food and tobacco farms, Vuong explores the nature of goodness and suffering. He recounts a pivotal moment at 15 when he contemplated violence, saved by a friend's intervention, leading him to Buddhism and writing as a means to understand suffering. Vuong reflects on class mobility, the loneliness it creates, and the tension between writing for personal expression versus familial support. He also touches on the refugee experience and the ever-present suspicion of authority.