I enjoyed the interview and feel inclined to read Boryga with whom I share the feeling that we have a language coded to say, “I’m smarter than you,” a language that has really impoverished our whole culture. But if I’m not mistaken (and apologies if I am!), one thing that stands out about the list of the admired authors and about Ross’ truly amazing books read recently: they are in either case overwhelmingly by a diverse set of fellow Americans. We have replaced what used to be called internationalism with our diversity, that is, American diversity. By the same token ouroppositional thinking about this country suffers from what I call the “American gaze” (analogous to the male gaze). Would we write differently if we read more and thought less America-centrally? (Again I apologize if I misread the nationality of your authors.)
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.
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!
There is something to what you say, but people in other countries also learn English because they are curious about us. Again, I am arguing an anti-elitist position here. I’m not a linguistic genius, no more than your taxi driver. But at the age of 70 in retirement, I taught myself Russian and French because I was curious about people in those countries and I wanted to travel there extensively. I also read their literature (in English translation). Anyone could do that, but we are used to being the center of the world. You really don’t think that is ethnocentrism? In the analogous case of an individual, wouldn’t we see it that way? The banlieues of Paris by the way are also a kind of gateway to Africa. You can learn so much there! I loved visiting language classes for African immigrants.
French, Spanish, and Japanese is truly impressive and I am not surprised that you do. But you can read now and then how few books are published in translation and you know how few people here know a foreign language. How come your Ethiopian taxi driver and most recent immigrants can learn English? Are they geniuses, snobs?. That’s just one measure of our America-centrism. They used to say Eurocentrism, but we are innocent of that to a fault. Don’t you think we could round out the picture of imperial arrogance? If you don’t know others and only expect them to meet us where we are, can we really know ourselves? I don’t mean you, Ross. I’m talking about this country.
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.
I enjoyed the interview and feel inclined to read Boryga with whom I share the feeling that we have a language coded to say, “I’m smarter than you,” a language that has really impoverished our whole culture. But if I’m not mistaken (and apologies if I am!), one thing that stands out about the list of the admired authors and about Ross’ truly amazing books read recently: they are in either case overwhelmingly by a diverse set of fellow Americans. We have replaced what used to be called internationalism with our diversity, that is, American diversity. By the same token ouroppositional thinking about this country suffers from what I call the “American gaze” (analogous to the male gaze). Would we write differently if we read more and thought less America-centrally? (Again I apologize if I misread the nationality of your authors.)
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!
There is something to what you say, but people in other countries also learn English because they are curious about us. Again, I am arguing an anti-elitist position here. I’m not a linguistic genius, no more than your taxi driver. But at the age of 70 in retirement, I taught myself Russian and French because I was curious about people in those countries and I wanted to travel there extensively. I also read their literature (in English translation). Anyone could do that, but we are used to being the center of the world. You really don’t think that is ethnocentrism? In the analogous case of an individual, wouldn’t we see it that way? The banlieues of Paris by the way are also a kind of gateway to Africa. You can learn so much there! I loved visiting language classes for African immigrants.
French, Spanish, and Japanese is truly impressive and I am not surprised that you do. But you can read now and then how few books are published in translation and you know how few people here know a foreign language. How come your Ethiopian taxi driver and most recent immigrants can learn English? Are they geniuses, snobs?. That’s just one measure of our America-centrism. They used to say Eurocentrism, but we are innocent of that to a fault. Don’t you think we could round out the picture of imperial arrogance? If you don’t know others and only expect them to meet us where we are, can we really know ourselves? I don’t mean you, Ross. I’m talking about this country.
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.