Peoria is such a seemingly quintessential American city, and I had always wanted to draw on that in either my fiction or in nonfiction. The Midwest is also a landscape that I have always been infatuated with, perhaps because it's the first one I can truly remember. Dinaw Mengestu americancitydraw share on social
Most of my favorite writers are over forty, and so I suppose I'll only name a few of the writers whose work I find myself constantly returning to: Edward P. Jones, Marilynne Robinson, Kazuo Ishiguro, V. S. Naipaul, Toni Morrison, and Philip Roth. Dinaw Mengestu constantlyedwardfavorite share on social
Writers, especially those of us with roots in other countries, are rarely left to ourselves. We are asked to declare our allegiances, or they are determined for us. Dinaw Mengestu allegianceaskcountry Change image and share on social
When I think of my work, I'm aware that I'm American and African at all points and times. And without a doubt, my experience and understanding of America was shaped by having immigrant parents. Dinaw Mengestu africanamericaamerican Change image and share on social
When I began 'All Our Names,' I did so wanting to create parallel narratives between Africa in the nineteen-seventies and America during that same period. Dinaw Mengestu africaamericabegin Change image and share on social
Ethnic divisions can definitely be exacerbated by a lack of natural resources, but those tensions become violent when people manipulate them for their own political gain. Dinaw Mengestu divisionethnicexacerbate Change image and share on social
History does influence our lives - every moment. We never sort of live our lives in a linear fashion. We always have these memories and these images from our past that sometimes we're not even aware of, and they sort of shape who we are. Dinaw Mengestu awarefashionhistory share on social
My parents never referenced Ethiopia that much, largely because of the circumstances under which we left. We left during a time of political upheaval, and there was a lot of loss that came with that, so my parents were reluctant to talk about those things. So I had, by and large, an American childhood. Dinaw Mengestu americanchildhoodcircumstance share on social
'The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears' is very much about America - it just happens to have African and Ethiopian characters, and in fact, it happens to have more characters who are not Ethiopian than who are. Dinaw Mengestu africanamericabear share on social
I couldn't be more American if I tried. I was born in Ethiopia, but I was raised and educated as an American. Dinaw Mengestu americanbeareducate Change image and share on social