Very excited for this book. Boryga seems to be navigating the difference/essentialism aspects of his identity with remarkable grace, and I only wish this was true across publishing. I definitely don’t need to name names, but my white liberal book club in the Midwest keeps choosing books by Black and Brown authors in the past ten years that are deathly boring because it’s seen as the noble thing to do. Let’s get some really angry, challenging stuff out there. Here is where I’d nominate James Hannaham’s criminally underrated “Delicious Foods,” for example, which the club hated and I loved.
This is a terrific interview! I love especially what he said about not necessarily living in NYC or having an MFA to be a writer. As someone who has lived in Europe for a number of years, this has been a question that has long nagged at me. But I've written the entire time, even managed to publish a story collection this year, and like to think my work has only become stronger and more distinct through having different kinds of formative experiences in my early adulthood. Anyway, really encouraging and inspiring piece!
They learn English because they've emigrated here and must immerse themselves in the language to survive. An American abroad can learn Spanish or French. But America is massive and only borders two foreign countries. Most Americans don't leave America. It's very hard to teach yourself a foreign language if you aren't immersed.
America has a lot of great literature and I personally find it harder to judge books in translation without reading the original language. I read Japanese, French, and Spanish literature, but I feel I am missing something not reading in the actual language.
Very excited for this book. Boryga seems to be navigating the difference/essentialism aspects of his identity with remarkable grace, and I only wish this was true across publishing. I definitely don’t need to name names, but my white liberal book club in the Midwest keeps choosing books by Black and Brown authors in the past ten years that are deathly boring because it’s seen as the noble thing to do. Let’s get some really angry, challenging stuff out there. Here is where I’d nominate James Hannaham’s criminally underrated “Delicious Foods,” for example, which the club hated and I loved.
Loved this interview and will check out his book
This is a terrific interview! I love especially what he said about not necessarily living in NYC or having an MFA to be a writer. As someone who has lived in Europe for a number of years, this has been a question that has long nagged at me. But I've written the entire time, even managed to publish a story collection this year, and like to think my work has only become stronger and more distinct through having different kinds of formative experiences in my early adulthood. Anyway, really encouraging and inspiring piece!
They learn English because they've emigrated here and must immerse themselves in the language to survive. An American abroad can learn Spanish or French. But America is massive and only borders two foreign countries. Most Americans don't leave America. It's very hard to teach yourself a foreign language if you aren't immersed.
America has a lot of great literature and I personally find it harder to judge books in translation without reading the original language. I read Japanese, French, and Spanish literature, but I feel I am missing something not reading in the actual language.