I do reread, kind of obsessively, partly for the surprise of how the same book reads at a different point in life, and partly to have the sense of returning to an old friend.
Elizabeth StroutRead
There is a tendency to presume autobiography in fiction by women or minorities. Guys named Jonathan write universal stories, while there's this sense that everyone else is just fictionalizing their own small experiences.
Interpretation
The quote highlights a bias in how fiction is perceived based on the author's identity, particularly for women and minorities.
Rumaan Alam's quote reflects on the systemic bias in literature where works by women and minority authors are often deemed autobiographical and limited to personal experiences, while male authors, especially those named Jonathan, are allowed to tell 'universal' stories. This illustrates a double standard in the literary world that marginalizes diverse voices and restricts the broader interpretations of their narratives.
In practice
In a discussion panel about representation in literature, this quote can highlight the need for diverse storytelling.
I do reread, kind of obsessively, partly for the surprise of how the same book reads at a different point in life, and partly to have the sense of returning to an old friend.
There is the myth that writing books for children is easier than writing books for grownups, whereas we know that truly great books for children are works of genius, whether it's 'Alice in Wonderland' or the 'Gruffalo' or 'Northern Lights.' When it's a great book, it's a great book, whether it's for children or not.
I defy anyone to finish Halldor Laxness's 'Independent People' without wetting the pages with tears.
Put simply the novel stands between us and the hardening concept of statistical man. There is no other medium in which we can live for so long and so intimately with a character. That is the service a novel renders.
It really matters to writers to find and treasure readers, all the more when they're on the other side of the world.
He's a great writer. If I didn't think so I wouldn't have tried to kill him... I was the champ and when I read his stuff I knew he had something. So I dropped a heavy glass skylight on his head at a drinking party. But you can't kill the guy. He's not human.
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