Ha Jin on Writing Fiction in English: The Paris Review Interview
By
Interviewed by Sarah Fay
Summary
An interview with acclaimed author Ha Jin (Xuefei), featured in The Paris Review's "Art of Fiction" series. The article profiles Jin's personality, his home life in Foxboro, Massachusetts, and his reflections on writing in English as a second language. Jin discusses the flexibility and expressiveness of English, describing it as a "plastic, very shapeable" language that feels natural to him despite being his adopted tongue.
Source
Twitter / XHa Jin on Writing Fiction in English: The Paris Review Interviewtheparisreview.orgKey quotes
· 3 pulledEnglish has more flexibility. It's a very plastic, very shapeable, very expressive language. In that sense it feels quite natural.
We have fresh air. We have a lot of sunlight. For her, that is important.
In contrast to the dark tenor of discontent that distinguishes his fiction, he is a genial man, at home in his own skin.
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