"Phan's brilliance lies in his ability to employ traditional forms in order to conjure emotional sympathy for his revolutionary ideals." --Journal of Asian Studies, February 2003

"Reading through this autobiography of Phan-Boi-Chau, ... I was struck by three attributes of his generation of revolutionaries that had disappeared by the time of his death.... The first is the unusual candidness and remarkable humility .... The second is the awareness of early Southeast Asian nationalists of their connection with other movements against colonial rule in Asia.... Finally, there is the absence of factionalism between Phan and his comrades." --Southeast Asian Studies 38 (2000)

"This English translation is both very welcome and very well executed." --Sojourn

The name of Phan-Boi-Chau may not be readily recognized by many people outside Vietnam, but within his own country he is one of the most widely known and respected figures in recent history. Phan (1867-1940) was the most prominent leader of the Vietnamese independence movement during the first quarter of the twentieth century and a living link between the older generation who initiated the struggle against French rule in Vietnam and the younger generation who carried that struggle to its conclusion. In 1928, while under house arrest by the French authorities, Phan composed an account of his eventful life. His original text in literary Chinese has been used for this translation, which brings Phan's story into English for the first time. It is accompanied by an introduction and notes incorporating the most up-to-date information about Phan's life and setting his career in the panoramic context of modern Vietnamese history.