October 9th, 2009 / 1:12 pm
Snippets
Snippets
Blake Butler—
Is an Asian who has never seen Asia more equipped to write about Asia than a not Asian? Furthermore, is an Asian who grew up and spent his or her whole life in Asia more equipped to write about Asia than a not Asian?
has the non asian seen asia?
has the non asian seen asia?
If you mean “write about Asia” as in “write about the continent of Asia,” then no.
If you mean “write about Asia” as in “write about the experience of being Asian,” then yes, probably.
If you mean “write about Asia” as in “write about the culture of Asia or the Asian people,” then it just depends. On lots of things.
If you mean “write about Asia” as in “write about the continent of Asia,” then no.
If you mean “write about Asia” as in “write about the experience of being Asian,” then yes, probably.
If you mean “write about Asia” as in “write about the culture of Asia or the Asian people,” then it just depends. On lots of things.
either way
either way
hahaha this question is sort of silly. so you are asking if a person born in a continent named something other than asia can write about “asia”?
so i dunno. can you write about north america? you are north american.
i dunno. just seems like a silly question.
hahaha this question is sort of silly. so you are asking if a person born in a continent named something other than asia can write about “asia”?
so i dunno. can you write about north america? you are north american.
i dunno. just seems like a silly question.
Depends on the genre, right?
Depends on the genre, right?
the answer to both questions is an easy, simple yes
Ditto Amber.
the answer to both questions is an easy, simple yes
Ditto Amber.
i think yr wrong
i think yr wrong
why does it matter
why does it matter
what genres do you think would be affected by this question
what genres do you think would be affected by this question
i am a not asian who has never seen cincinnati but i set me second novel there. do you think i’ll be okay?
i am a not asian who has never seen cincinnati but i set me second novel there. do you think i’ll be okay?
genre as in like a newspaper article versus a memoir, maybe?
genre as in like a newspaper article versus a memoir, maybe?
‘asia’
‘asia’
aja
aja
is asia brazil?
are we still not allowed to say Oriental?
is asia brazil?
are we still not allowed to say Oriental?
that’s what i meant — cincinnati, asia.
(i was just clowning, pointing out that i had a blast writing a book about a place i had no experience of. nobody ever complained. i think because nobody ever read it.)
that’s what i meant — cincinnati, asia.
(i was just clowning, pointing out that i had a blast writing a book about a place i had no experience of. nobody ever complained. i think because nobody ever read it.)
I can see what you’re probably trying to get at; why should we limit what we write based on what we know or what we are–and it’s not to say that someone who’s not Asian couldn’t write about being Asian–but I think qualitatively, especially in our not-at-all-post-racial-society, an Asian is better equipped to write about being Asian than, say, a white chick like me is. But, I have been to China and have studied Chinese and Asian history, so I might be better equipped to write about China or possibly Chinese culture than, say, an Asian person who has never been to Asia and has no interest or knowledge in that area.
I think the key word is “equipped–” as in, “uniquely advantaged.” I’m a total hater of the “write what you know” philosophy, because I think that’s boring. But you start out in a better place if you want to write about something and have lived it in any way–whether it’s a perspective, a race, a sex, a hobby, whatever. It’s an automatic starting advantage. So it doesn’t exclude anybody writing about anything, but I think it does matter.
I can see what you’re probably trying to get at; why should we limit what we write based on what we know or what we are–and it’s not to say that someone who’s not Asian couldn’t write about being Asian–but I think qualitatively, especially in our not-at-all-post-racial-society, an Asian is better equipped to write about being Asian than, say, a white chick like me is. But, I have been to China and have studied Chinese and Asian history, so I might be better equipped to write about China or possibly Chinese culture than, say, an Asian person who has never been to Asia and has no interest or knowledge in that area.
I think the key word is “equipped–” as in, “uniquely advantaged.” I’m a total hater of the “write what you know” philosophy, because I think that’s boring. But you start out in a better place if you want to write about something and have lived it in any way–whether it’s a perspective, a race, a sex, a hobby, whatever. It’s an automatic starting advantage. So it doesn’t exclude anybody writing about anything, but I think it does matter.
i think you are right on widdit, that’s the best way to write i think.
i was saying ‘asia’ again after yr comment because it’s such a big place and other people were talking about asia like it’s cincinatti. the blankness of people emphatically responding yes to ‘asia’ as a place that can be defined better by a person that’s been there i think proved my point, if i had one.
cincinatti is scary.
i think you are right on widdit, that’s the best way to write i think.
i was saying ‘asia’ again after yr comment because it’s such a big place and other people were talking about asia like it’s cincinatti. the blankness of people emphatically responding yes to ‘asia’ as a place that can be defined better by a person that’s been there i think proved my point, if i had one.
cincinatti is scary.
i hope your book is really cincinatti, asia. if it’s not, can it be?
i hope your book is really cincinatti, asia. if it’s not, can it be?
what about a white jew who marries an asian woman who grew up on the east coast, specifically jersey? Isn’t he in the best position to write about asia and all of its exotic fruits?
ryan, has inspired me. there is a titular story written about the exoticy asian fruit durian. i believe it is called the departed. it will answer question #2 in the fuck yes affirmative.
That’s definitely not a simple yes. Since the question is phrased, “more equipped,” it’s a bit easier to parse out, but the question still leaves a lot to assume.
Obviously an Asian, even having never been to Asia, is going to have a bit more of an understanding of Asia’s culture and customs due to transference of these things from parents, grandparents, and other relatives–transference that the non-Asian wouldn’t necessarily have.
As for the second question, I assume you’re meaning the Asian and non-Asian have both grown up and lived their entire lives in Asia? That levels the playing field a bit more, though the non-Asian might have more of an outsider’s perspective on the inside of Asia, something of an inverse to Tan’s writing. Whereas an Asian might write, “This is Asia,” the non-Asian might write, “This is a non-Asian perspective of living in Asia.”
what about a white jew who marries an asian woman who grew up on the east coast, specifically jersey? Isn’t he in the best position to write about asia and all of its exotic fruits?
ryan, has inspired me. there is a titular story written about the exoticy asian fruit durian. i believe it is called the departed. it will answer question #2 in the fuck yes affirmative.
That’s definitely not a simple yes. Since the question is phrased, “more equipped,” it’s a bit easier to parse out, but the question still leaves a lot to assume.
Obviously an Asian, even having never been to Asia, is going to have a bit more of an understanding of Asia’s culture and customs due to transference of these things from parents, grandparents, and other relatives–transference that the non-Asian wouldn’t necessarily have.
As for the second question, I assume you’re meaning the Asian and non-Asian have both grown up and lived their entire lives in Asia? That levels the playing field a bit more, though the non-Asian might have more of an outsider’s perspective on the inside of Asia, something of an inverse to Tan’s writing. Whereas an Asian might write, “This is Asia,” the non-Asian might write, “This is a non-Asian perspective of living in Asia.”
read this story to support DFW who shares my name. plus my brother teaches at IWU, within minutes of DFW’s old stomping grounds.
i’m so vain i think this post is about me
read this story to support DFW who shares my name. plus my brother teaches at IWU, within minutes of DFW’s old stomping grounds.
i’m so vain i think this post is about me
I don’t see him asking “can.” He’s asking who is “more equipped.”
BTW, I do realize I’m being the straight man here, but I did think there was a point to be made about the difference between race versus experience.
a guy at work said oriental a few days ago. no one else seemed concerned.
are you just asking to ask or do you want the answer?
I don’t see him asking “can.” He’s asking who is “more equipped.”
BTW, I do realize I’m being the straight man here, but I did think there was a point to be made about the difference between race versus experience.
a guy at work said oriental a few days ago. no one else seemed concerned.
are you just asking to ask or do you want the answer?
why is cincy scary yo? their law school is the shit. anyone who goes to UC law is a fucking beast. clifton is wondrous and the proximity to the beautiful, unique restaurants lining the Covington coast are something to e-mail home about.
christian, i read your book. you did not do the UC recruiting folks ANY fucking favors.
why is cincy scary yo? their law school is the shit. anyone who goes to UC law is a fucking beast. clifton is wondrous and the proximity to the beautiful, unique restaurants lining the Covington coast are something to e-mail home about.
christian, i read your book. you did not do the UC recruiting folks ANY fucking favors.
jc, i don’t see you pulling off the apricot scarf look
jc, i don’t see you pulling off the apricot scarf look
don’t you love the line “they were clouds in my coffee”? there’s something there worth mining
don’t you love the line “they were clouds in my coffee”? there’s something there worth mining
“I think the key word is “equipped–” as in, “uniquely advantaged.” I’m a total hater of the “write what you know” philosophy, because I think that’s boring. But you start out in a better place if you want to write about something and have lived it in any way–whether it’s a perspective, a race, a sex, a hobby, whatever. It’s an automatic starting advantage. So it doesn’t exclude anybody writing about anything, but I think it does matter.”
Spot on.
“I think the key word is “equipped–” as in, “uniquely advantaged.” I’m a total hater of the “write what you know” philosophy, because I think that’s boring. But you start out in a better place if you want to write about something and have lived it in any way–whether it’s a perspective, a race, a sex, a hobby, whatever. It’s an automatic starting advantage. So it doesn’t exclude anybody writing about anything, but I think it does matter.”
Spot on.
I suppose you could just read both their accounts, and see which one is better.
I suppose you could just read both their accounts, and see which one is better.
i guess we aren’t allowed,… which seems silly….. but maybe i’m just being insensitive… i personally like the sound(s) of “oriental”
“exotic fruits”
i guess we aren’t allowed,… which seems silly….. but maybe i’m just being insensitive… i personally like the sound(s) of “oriental”
“exotic fruits”
okay “who can do it better” still a silly question.
wtf does writing about asia mean?
i think it’s more about culture than location.
the answer is the same for all of these type of questions: depends on the writer.
okay “who can do it better” still a silly question.
wtf does writing about asia mean?
i think it’s more about culture than location.
the answer is the same for all of these type of questions: depends on the writer.
would you take dating advice from someone who has never been on a date?
would you ask a man what the most pleasurable way for two lesbians to have sex would be (in a way that would be pleasurable to the women, not to the man-as-voyeur)?
anybody can write whatever they want, but researching the shit out of something pales in comparison to actually experiencing it. but then again, if you are examining writing-as-artifice-as-language-as-etc then experience is irrelevant, because the text itself is mere representation (or: ‘something’). dating advice from a person who has never been on a date might ring as ‘inauthentic,’ ‘unqualified,’ or ‘artificial,’ but that might be the point.
would you take dating advice from someone who has never been on a date?
would you ask a man what the most pleasurable way for two lesbians to have sex would be (in a way that would be pleasurable to the women, not to the man-as-voyeur)?
anybody can write whatever they want, but researching the shit out of something pales in comparison to actually experiencing it. but then again, if you are examining writing-as-artifice-as-language-as-etc then experience is irrelevant, because the text itself is mere representation (or: ‘something’). dating advice from a person who has never been on a date might ring as ‘inauthentic,’ ‘unqualified,’ or ‘artificial,’ but that might be the point.
and if you are writing language-as-text-as-experience, then content itself is almost a moot-point, I guess (though my favorite writing-as-experience writings tend to marry content with ‘experiential’ elements in a pleasing way)
and if you are writing language-as-text-as-experience, then content itself is almost a moot-point, I guess (though my favorite writing-as-experience writings tend to marry content with ‘experiential’ elements in a pleasing way)
I think “direct” experience feeds/fuels the imagination. The imagination can be autophagic, can feed off itself for a long time, but eventually it seeks outward sustenance.
Walter Abish, I believe, went to Mexico immediately after he finished Eclipse Fever, which is set there. It is interesting that he felt compelled to go…
But Vollmann’s a good example of someone who throws himself into the experience, no? He goes, and I think it shows in his work. He seems to feel something verging on a sense of responsibility to his subjects and their environs. Of course he hasn’t been everywhere he writes about–not in that time period, but you sense that he has stood on an ice floe and that it’s helped him to imagine what that was like for some Norse explorer. McCarthy, too, someone was telling me, doesn’t write about anyplace he hasn’t been.
There’s no guarantee of better writing, of course. But it helps to deepen one’s obsessions with one’s subject matter, I think.
Maybe it’s all just an excuse to travel a lot and, in Vollmann’s case, hang out with prostitutes. (No, I don’t really believe that).
I think “direct” experience feeds/fuels the imagination. The imagination can be autophagic, can feed off itself for a long time, but eventually it seeks outward sustenance.
Walter Abish, I believe, went to Mexico immediately after he finished Eclipse Fever, which is set there. It is interesting that he felt compelled to go…
But Vollmann’s a good example of someone who throws himself into the experience, no? He goes, and I think it shows in his work. He seems to feel something verging on a sense of responsibility to his subjects and their environs. Of course he hasn’t been everywhere he writes about–not in that time period, but you sense that he has stood on an ice floe and that it’s helped him to imagine what that was like for some Norse explorer. McCarthy, too, someone was telling me, doesn’t write about anyplace he hasn’t been.
There’s no guarantee of better writing, of course. But it helps to deepen one’s obsessions with one’s subject matter, I think.
Maybe it’s all just an excuse to travel a lot and, in Vollmann’s case, hang out with prostitutes. (No, I don’t really believe that).
not allowed
not allowed
This is a good thread, actually. I rarely write about being Asian, mostly because I don’t identify as one, but that doesn’t matter a fuckwhat because I also rarely write autobiographically–I’ve never written from an adopted character’s pov, never written from the pov of someone whose every last relationship (friendship or otherwise) is biracial. In fact, more often than not I write from a lesbian pov, which I neither am nor identify as. I’ve often felt taken aback, however, by the heteronormative portrayals of literary protagonists, and made it a point a long time ago to (try) to be another voice in the LGBTQ community. If for no other reason than because the more queer becomes a part of our everyday culture/lives, the more progress I think can be made.
This is a good thread, actually. I rarely write about being Asian, mostly because I don’t identify as one, but that doesn’t matter a fuckwhat because I also rarely write autobiographically–I’ve never written from an adopted character’s pov, never written from the pov of someone whose every last relationship (friendship or otherwise) is biracial. In fact, more often than not I write from a lesbian pov, which I neither am nor identify as. I’ve often felt taken aback, however, by the heteronormative portrayals of literary protagonists, and made it a point a long time ago to (try) to be another voice in the LGBTQ community. If for no other reason than because the more queer becomes a part of our everyday culture/lives, the more progress I think can be made.
not allowed to like the sound of “oriental”?? :)
not allowed to like the sound of “oriental”?? :)
Are you talking about the band ASIA?
Are you talking about the band ASIA?
“As Karl Rossman, a poor boy of sixteen who had been packed off to America by his parents because a servant girl had seduced him and got herself a child by him, stood on the liner slowly entering the harbour of New York, a sudden burst of sunshine seemed to illumine the Statue of Liberty, so that he saw it in a new light, although he had sighted it long before. The arm with the sword rose up as if newly stretched aloft, and round the figure blew the free winds of heaven.”
So, Kafka, writing about some America in his mind. And then there’s Vollmann traveling like crazy and writing incredibly textured portraits of people culturally different from himself — but he’s candid about his own limits, as an outsider, in portraying the people he meets. And there’s many authors writing from within their own culture — Nabokov is pretty good at Russian emigres, for example (“own people” and “culture” being rather fraught terms, yes). I see those as the three broad categories covering these types of books, though they overlap and can be further subdivided in complex ways. (Someone whose never been to Asia could write a book about “Asia” in either the first or second mode, maybe even the third, though I’m not sure how that last would work; but the third category seems the most unstable of the three, since at the limit no one is ever truly fixed within a culture, cos culture is not a stable homogeneous thing.) Bottom line, all three forms have limitations and advantages; if it works it works, and if not, not. You come up with something like sticking a sword in the hand of the Statue of Liberty, you’re probably on to something.
“As Karl Rossman, a poor boy of sixteen who had been packed off to America by his parents because a servant girl had seduced him and got herself a child by him, stood on the liner slowly entering the harbour of New York, a sudden burst of sunshine seemed to illumine the Statue of Liberty, so that he saw it in a new light, although he had sighted it long before. The arm with the sword rose up as if newly stretched aloft, and round the figure blew the free winds of heaven.”
So, Kafka, writing about some America in his mind. And then there’s Vollmann traveling like crazy and writing incredibly textured portraits of people culturally different from himself — but he’s candid about his own limits, as an outsider, in portraying the people he meets. And there’s many authors writing from within their own culture — Nabokov is pretty good at Russian emigres, for example (“own people” and “culture” being rather fraught terms, yes). I see those as the three broad categories covering these types of books, though they overlap and can be further subdivided in complex ways. (Someone whose never been to Asia could write a book about “Asia” in either the first or second mode, maybe even the third, though I’m not sure how that last would work; but the third category seems the most unstable of the three, since at the limit no one is ever truly fixed within a culture, cos culture is not a stable homogeneous thing.) Bottom line, all three forms have limitations and advantages; if it works it works, and if not, not. You come up with something like sticking a sword in the hand of the Statue of Liberty, you’re probably on to something.
Norman Lock is living proof you can write about places without having even been. I go on about this at length in my recent post: http://5cense.com/09/BangTokDon/Re_Siam.htm
i think sometimes outsiders have more insight into a place then those embroiled it. A lot of what i loathe about bad writing i read lately is entitlement. The New Yorker that feels entitled to write about New York. The hipster that thinks they are hip. The Asian that feels entitled to write about Asian culture. What entitlement breeds is hardly interesting. Tresspassing makes for better stories. Outsiders.
p.s. the food here rocks. You’d dig Bangkok Blake, if anything for the way they say “massaaage” or “sawatdee kaaaa”. It can’t be put into words, it’s like sarcasm is part of the language, something they might not get because they are a part of it.
Norman Lock is living proof you can write about places without having even been. I go on about this at length in my recent post: http://5cense.com/09/BangTokDon/Re_Siam.htm
i think sometimes outsiders have more insight into a place then those embroiled it. A lot of what i loathe about bad writing i read lately is entitlement. The New Yorker that feels entitled to write about New York. The hipster that thinks they are hip. The Asian that feels entitled to write about Asian culture. What entitlement breeds is hardly interesting. Tresspassing makes for better stories. Outsiders.
p.s. the food here rocks. You’d dig Bangkok Blake, if anything for the way they say “massaaage” or “sawatdee kaaaa”. It can’t be put into words, it’s like sarcasm is part of the language, something they might not get because they are a part of it.
p.p.s. is there a connection between TOTO and ASIA? I feel there must be.
p.p.s. is there a connection between TOTO and ASIA? I feel there must be.
derek, i’ve always felt like there must be some connection — i confuse they’re hits all the time.
karaoke.
it should be my signature.
derek, i’ve always felt like there must be some connection — i confuse they’re hits all the time.
karaoke.
it should be my signature.
blake — no, it’s cincinnati, america. but it’s funny you made this thread, because the nature of the chinese language plays a big part in the novel. china is in cincinnati, right?
david — that was all intentional. i work for a co-op school, so i have to take down all the other co-op schools. (that’s a joke — it was written before i ever started working here. but thanks for reading, seriously.)
blake — no, it’s cincinnati, america. but it’s funny you made this thread, because the nature of the chinese language plays a big part in the novel. china is in cincinnati, right?
david — that was all intentional. i work for a co-op school, so i have to take down all the other co-op schools. (that’s a joke — it was written before i ever started working here. but thanks for reading, seriously.)
The problems of the exotic fascinate me, how on the one hand perhaps curiosities that reveal themselves to the newcomer/outsider/foreigner speak of or for something, and on the other how a preoccupation with curiosities is a sort of reduction, a certain kind of analysis that must disregard familiarity, subjective conditioning, subtlety, is a kind of gaze. A specificity of experience is always worthwhile to the reader and writer, the citizen will be able to experience things that the foreigner cannot or does not or rarely does, rather than this being a proscription necessarily, if we are to leave the arguments of authenticity aside for a moment, I think variations will be present in the representations of things that are perhaps of interest. We can wonder at what is stifled or politicised for a certain subjectivity within a certain space, a certain collectivity, under national forces and agendas, familial contracts and socialisation. What is novel and what is plain within that sphere? I despise both ends of the spectrum regarding authenticity: those whose constructions require a truth to remain standing, and those who exoticise a place to the point where it becomes defamatory or propagandistic. No one is entitled to write about anywhere. Every expression written is a solicitation. We must take every written word very seriously, no matter how imaginative. I wonder how many of you feel about it, but I find it most difficult to write about right-here and right-now. Because every time I leave the house I wonder if my transmutations of right-here co-habitate with it, if it was worthwhile writing about something already writing its own life through others.
The problems of the exotic fascinate me, how on the one hand perhaps curiosities that reveal themselves to the newcomer/outsider/foreigner speak of or for something, and on the other how a preoccupation with curiosities is a sort of reduction, a certain kind of analysis that must disregard familiarity, subjective conditioning, subtlety, is a kind of gaze. A specificity of experience is always worthwhile to the reader and writer, the citizen will be able to experience things that the foreigner cannot or does not or rarely does, rather than this being a proscription necessarily, if we are to leave the arguments of authenticity aside for a moment, I think variations will be present in the representations of things that are perhaps of interest. We can wonder at what is stifled or politicised for a certain subjectivity within a certain space, a certain collectivity, under national forces and agendas, familial contracts and socialisation. What is novel and what is plain within that sphere? I despise both ends of the spectrum regarding authenticity: those whose constructions require a truth to remain standing, and those who exoticise a place to the point where it becomes defamatory or propagandistic. No one is entitled to write about anywhere. Every expression written is a solicitation. We must take every written word very seriously, no matter how imaginative. I wonder how many of you feel about it, but I find it most difficult to write about right-here and right-now. Because every time I leave the house I wonder if my transmutations of right-here co-habitate with it, if it was worthwhile writing about something already writing its own life through others.
their
their
TOTO captures AFRICA better than any African.
TOTO captures AFRICA better than any African.
They do an enviable job of rhyming “Serengeti.”
They do an enviable job of rhyming “Serengeti.”
I’m glad Derek piped in with Lock’s use of “history” and “imagination.”
I’m glad Derek piped in with Lock’s use of “history” and “imagination.”
If you have a reason to set anything in Asia, it’s probably because you want to write about Asia.
If you have a reason to set anything in Asia, it’s probably because you want to write about Asia.
allowed
allowed
It depends.
The question is, what is meant with “to be more equipped to write about Asia”.
Look, I’m Russian, and living for years in Germany, but I like writing about Asia, even if I am not really informed about Asia like Asians living in Asia. But Asia, I write about, is “my Asia”, it’s like Japan in Roland Barthes’ “Empire of Signs”.
I think, you cannot be more or less equipped to write about something. The thing is, if you write, you already are.
It depends.
The question is, what is meant with “to be more equipped to write about Asia”.
Look, I’m Russian, and living for years in Germany, but I like writing about Asia, even if I am not really informed about Asia like Asians living in Asia. But Asia, I write about, is “my Asia”, it’s like Japan in Roland Barthes’ “Empire of Signs”.
I think, you cannot be more or less equipped to write about something. The thing is, if you write, you already are.
christian, ha ha, fuck UC. they call me every day to get money for the law school. always some peppy 1L, never knowing to call from a different number. whereever i move to, they find me. i was the ping pong champ there all three years. some battles and blood on that table.
me too, me too
christian, ha ha, fuck UC. they call me every day to get money for the law school. always some peppy 1L, never knowing to call from a different number. whereever i move to, they find me. i was the ping pong champ there all three years. some battles and blood on that table.
me too, me too
noted – ‘exotic fruits’
thank you
noted – ‘exotic fruits’
thank you
ha ha re the last para
nice post overall pho sho
ha ha re the last para
nice post overall pho sho
the grocery store i worked at for years always had that on muzak, sans words. killed me. how the fuck do you bag groceries without hearing “she’s coming in 1230 flight” and “hurry boy, it’s waiting there for you”
that’s why i always packed the fish and soap together and mashed the bread
and ha – serengeti and solitary company – nice job toto
the grocery store i worked at for years always had that on muzak, sans words. killed me. how the fuck do you bag groceries without hearing “she’s coming in 1230 flight” and “hurry boy, it’s waiting there for you”
that’s why i always packed the fish and soap together and mashed the bread
and ha – serengeti and solitary company – nice job toto
any one else hear pamela and rosanna were code words for chiang mai and ho chi minh?
any one else hear pamela and rosanna were code words for chiang mai and ho chi minh?
It’s uncomfortable when (and it happens quite a lot, actually) someone says “Oriental” and everyone else in the room goes all shocked and sideways glances at me. I was also recently annoyed when I sat down for a trim and the stylist said, “My daughter wishes she had Oriental hair.” I don’t know. I blame Said.
It’s uncomfortable when (and it happens quite a lot, actually) someone says “Oriental” and everyone else in the room goes all shocked and sideways glances at me. I was also recently annoyed when I sat down for a trim and the stylist said, “My daughter wishes she had Oriental hair.” I don’t know. I blame Said.
Amerika offers a great study of the depiction of something unknown to the author; the accounts of America that he must have heard! Really good example for this.
Amerika offers a great study of the depiction of something unknown to the author; the accounts of America that he must have heard! Really good example for this.
That’s like Kazuo Ishiguro. He’s Japanese but spent 95% of his life in England. Reading his novels, are they Japanese, English or hybrid? Sure, your race gives you a bit of identity but the truth is that if you live in Rwanda and never go to America, how American can you be? The only thing you’re equipped to write about is how you’re an “ethnic foreigner” in Rwanda or how you can’t imitate actual Americans (obviously this is just an example). That’s like asking the pig from Babe to write about being a pig. He can only describe being born a pig and the effects his different appearance have on his life, not anything piggish.
That’s like Kazuo Ishiguro. He’s Japanese but spent 95% of his life in England. Reading his novels, are they Japanese, English or hybrid? Sure, your race gives you a bit of identity but the truth is that if you live in Rwanda and never go to America, how American can you be? The only thing you’re equipped to write about is how you’re an “ethnic foreigner” in Rwanda or how you can’t imitate actual Americans (obviously this is just an example). That’s like asking the pig from Babe to write about being a pig. He can only describe being born a pig and the effects his different appearance have on his life, not anything piggish.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazuo_Ishiguro#Ishiguro_and_Japan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazuo_Ishiguro#Ishiguro_and_Japan