Chang-Rae Lee Quotes

Chang-Rae Lee
Chang-Rae Lee
South Korean Novelist
Born: Jul 29, 1965
Me People Think Work Writing You
Related authors: Charles Dickens Ernest Hemingway Gustave Flaubert James Baldwin John Updike Leo Rosten Paulo Coelho Walter Scott
I have a hard time revising sentences, because I spend an inordinate amount of time on each sentence, and the sentence before it, and the sentence after it. Chang-Rae Lee
Time Before Spend Inordinate Because Revising After Sentence Sentences Hard Hard Time Each Amount
A novel, even a social realist one, can't simply be a comprehensive rendering of what is. A novel requires a special angle or approach, whether in structure or language or theme, to justify itself. Chang-Rae Lee
Language Approach Angle Comprehensive Structure Simply Rendering Itself Whether Realist Justify Social Theme Requires Special Even Novel
It's hard to write a war story without thinking about the 'Iliad.' Because the 'Iliad' knows everything about war. Chang-Rae Lee
War Thinking Everything About Write Knows Because Without Story Hard Iliad
I remember when I was in art classes, I hated following the assignments. And I would get in trouble for doing something totally different or taking it in a weird direction. Chang-Rae Lee
Art Remember Trouble Would Hated Classes Totally Following Something Direction Remember When Taking Weird Doing Get Different Assignments
I suppose people might consider me a 'loose' reader, as I seem willing to read anything of quality thinking and prose. Chang-Rae Lee
Me Quality People Thinking Consider Willing Seem Prose Suppose Read Reader Loose Anything Might
In my teaching, I try to expose my students to the widest range of aesthetic possibilities, so I'll offer them stories from Anton Chekhov to Denis Johnson, from Flannery O'Connor to A.M. Homes, and perhaps investigating all that strange variation of beauty has rubbed off on me. Or perhaps that's why I enjoy teaching literature. Chang-Rae Lee
Me Strange Try Beauty Enjoy Range Possibilities Variation Johnson Investigating Students Perhaps Chekhov Aesthetic Off Offer Stories Literature Them Teaching Expose Homes Why Widest
I can put together a pretty decent meal from whatever happens to be in the refrigerator and the pantry. I like the challenge of this sort of improvisation, the rigor of limitation and sometimes having to take a risk. Chang-Rae Lee
Together Sometimes Challenge Whatever Meal Pantry Rigor Pretty Risk Having Take Put Like Sort Limitation Improvisation Refrigerator Decent Happens
No place is perfect, but I admire Oahu for its offering of the tropical and the urban, and then its Asian-inflected culture and cuisines. Chang-Rae Lee
Culture Admire Perfect Tropical Cuisines Offering Place Urban Then
I wanted to write about the Korean War, but I had no entry into it that made the kind of sense it needs to make for a novelist. Chang-Rae Lee
War Needs Made Sense Kind About Write Entry Had Make Korean Korean War Wanted Novelist
In my other books, things do happen, but they are kind of bookends to the real action, which for me was an exploration of consciousness. Not that I don't get into the consciousness of the people in 'The Surrendered,' but you could say there's not as much anxiety about it. Chang-Rae Lee
Me You People Anxiety Action Other Books Say Kind About Could Real Get Happen Which Much Exploration Things Consciousness
I think book clubs should read more contemporary poetry. Chang-Rae Lee
Book Think More Poetry Contemporary Read Clubs Should
Before I start my work in the morning, I need to have quickly browsed the entire paper, noting articles that I want to read during lunch. Chang-Rae Lee
Work Morning Before Lunch Paper Entire Read Quickly Articles Want Noting Start Need
We read and remember certain writers because they offer distinctive voices and perspectives, because they've given themselves over completely and passionately to their obsessions while vigorously ignoring everything else. Chang-Rae Lee
Remember Else Everything Everything Else Distinctive Given Voices Writers Obsessions Over Read Because Passionately Offer While Themselves Perspectives Certain Ignoring
I often think that the prime directive for me as a teacher of writing is akin to that for a physician, which is this: do no harm. Chang-Rae Lee
Teacher Me Writing Physician Think Directive Prime Often Which Harm
As for what's the most challenging aspect of teaching, it's convincing younger writers of the importance of reading widely and passionately. Chang-Rae Lee
Reading Writers Importance Most Passionately Younger Convincing Aspect Teaching Challenging Widely
We know the point of the 2010 Census is to count us, one by one, to tally every last resident, but the massive project of course has more prying, if limited, interests. Chang-Rae Lee
Every Project More Point Count Know Massive Course Limited Prying Census Us Interests Resident Last
After college, I was living in New York and wrote furiously, a huge novel that I knew was a failure. I hoped that the book would work, but to be honest, I think I knew it would never work, even as I was finishing it. Chang-Rae Lee
Work Failure Book College To Be Honest Living Think Hoped Would Finishing Never Knew New Wrote Huge York New York After Even Novel Honest
To be honest, I'm not that much of a reader of Korean fiction, since so little is translated. Chang-Rae Lee
To Be Honest Since Reader Korean Fiction Little Translated Much Honest
I write on a computer. On breaks, I'll make myself green tea. I don't want something too caffeinated. I guess I don't believe in chemical enhancement of my writing. Just slight, but nothing crazy. Chang-Rae Lee
Myself Crazy Writing Nothing Tea Believe Too Guess Slight Something Computer Write Make Chemical Green Just Want Breaks Enhancement
I think my parents recognised that I'd always wanted to be a writer, and so they didn't think that this was some idle, faddish wish on my part. Chang-Rae Lee
Parents Wish Think Recognised Some Writer Part Always Idle Wanted
One of the ready advantages of writing a road or quest story is that it mirrors the experience of writing a novel. Chang-Rae Lee
Experience Writing Mirrors Road Advantages Ready Quest Story Novel
We arrived the way most emigrant families did. My father came first, and the rest of us - my mother, my sister and me - followed a year later. Chang-Rae Lee
Me Mother Father Rest First Year Sister Later Way Followed Most Year Later Came Arrived Families Did Us
I don't like to use writing assignments, exercises. I think too often people get comfortable writing in that vein, but you can't go on to write a novel comprised of short writing exercises. Chang-Rae Lee
You People Writing Think Too Write Vein Like Comfortable Exercises Go Get Often Short Use Novel Assignments
My writing day follows my family's day. I get a good few hours in the mornings when the kids are out of the house. And I don't work at night any more. I like to see my family. Chang-Rae Lee
Work Good Day Family Writing Few Kids Out See Follows More Mornings Like Hours House Get Any Night

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