I read recently that the problem with stereotypes isn't that they are inaccurate, but that they're incomplete. And this captures perfectly what I think about contemporary African literature. The problem isn't that it's inaccurate, it's that it's incomplete. Taiye Selasi africancapturecontemporary share on social
As a writer, one is obliged to release her words, to let them live in the world on their own. Taiye Selasi liveobligerelease Change image and share on social
The big ideas always come in flashes. I don't really craft stories that much. I genuinely don't know where these people come from, and I've often wondered if writing is just a socially acceptable form of madness. Taiye Selasi acceptablebigcraft share on social
Being a twin, and being my sister's twin, is such a defining part of my life that I wouldn't know how to be who I am, including a writer, without that being somehow at the centre. Taiye Selasi centredefineinclude Change image and share on social
The thing that comes most frequently to me on yoga retreats is excruciating pain in my hips. Taiye Selasi excruciatefrequentlyhip Change image and share on social
As a novelist, I ask of myself only that I tell the truth and that I tell it beautifully. Taiye Selasi beautifullynovelisttruth Change image and share on social
So often, literature about African people is conflated with literature about African politics, as if the state were somehow of greater import or interest than the individual. Taiye Selasi africanconflategreat Change image and share on social
The writer presents himself to the blank page not with an open passport but an open heart. Taiye Selasi blankheartopen Change image and share on social
I wrote fiction during my entire childhood, from age 4 to 18, and started writing plays when I went to Yale and Oxford. Taiye Selasi agechildhoodentire Change image and share on social
I've written fiction for as long as I can remember; it's always been my preferred form of play. Taiye Selasi fictionformhave Change image and share on social