Yiyun Li

Yiyun Li (2015)

Yiyun Li (born November 4, 1972) is a Chinese-American writer.

Quotes

• I always used to say strongly that I was not an autobiographical writer, so strongly it was clearly suspicious…Even without this book, I can now say that is just a lie.
  • On her book Dear Friend in “Yiyun Li: ‘I used to say that I was not an autobiographical writer – that was a lie’” in The Guardian (2017 Feb 24)

• I always feel that how people treat animals is not too far from how people treat each other, especially under stress or under certain circumstances…
  • On including animal deaths in her work as symbolism in “An Interview with Yiyun Li” in Brick Magazine (2019 Feb 19)

• I like to think a thought and then I like to follow it, like a little seed, for a long time and see where that growth leads me. Sometimes it leads me to an entirely different place from where it started and that gives me joy.
  • On her thought process in “What I think: Yiyun Li” (Princeton University; 2018 Dec 10)

• There is a beginning, a middle and an end. And I think for those of us who have crossed borders, the artificial beginning is interesting to me. There is a clear-cut — old life, that’s old country, and there’s new life, new country.…
  • On the duality of immigration in “Interview with Yiyun Li” in The Nassau Literary Review (2018 May 3)