"The best stories are not found. They find you."
This quote implies that meaningful and impactful stories do not come from a conscious search or effort, but rather they unexpectedly manifest in one's life. It suggests that these stories have a profound connection to our individual experiences and personal journeys, making them more significant when we encounter them organically rather than seeking them out intentionally. Essentially, the best stories are those that resonate deeply because they find us, revealing something essential about ourselves or the world around us.
"Imagination is a kind of autism."
This quote by Helen Oyeyemi suggests that imagination, like autism, involves a unique way of perceiving and processing information. Imagination allows individuals to see beyond the physical world, creating and exploring alternative realities in their minds. Similarly, those with autism often have a rich inner life, experiencing the world differently and sometimes finding it challenging to interact with people and social norms in the same way as others. Both imagination and autism involve an intense focus on individual thoughts, perspectives, and ideas, setting them apart from mainstream perceptions.
"When I am writing, it's like being in the ocean. The pen is just a vehicle for whatever is swimming past."
This quote suggests that for author Helen Oyeyemi, the process of writing is akin to being immersed in an ocean. Just as one doesn't control the marine life that swims past, she relinquishes control over the creative ideas or inspirations (the "marine life") that come to her during the act of writing. The pen serves merely as a tool for capturing and conveying these ideas rather than being their originator. In essence, Oyeyemi is conveying the idea that writing, at its core, is about capturing and expressing the creativity that flows through us, not trying to force or control it.
"I think when we meet someone, sometimes we're not meeting them at all, but their ghost."
This quote suggests that our initial impressions or feelings towards people may not always be based on who they truly are in the present, but rather on preconceived ideas, past experiences, or the influence of other people's perceptions. In essence, it implies that we might be encountering a figurative 'ghost' – a version of the person influenced by their history or other factors, rather than their authentic self. This idea can serve as a reminder to approach others with open-mindedness and curiosity, to uncover their true selves beyond our initial perceptions.
"The universe contains everything that can be defined and everything that cannot be defined."
This quote by Helen Oyeyemi implies that the universe encompasses both the known, definable aspects (things we can put a label on or understand) as well as the unknown, indefinable parts (mysteries and phenomena beyond human comprehension). It serves as a reminder of the vastness and complexity of the world around us, inviting us to seek understanding while also embracing the mysteries that remain unsolved.
I think I started writing about identity, and I used to believe that identity is the story. But now I'm not so much subscribed to that. I mean, with 'Mr. Fox,' it has a feminist agenda as well. And so, as I sort of been away from writing about identity, I still feel that kind of tug of roots and, you know, cultural background.
- Helen Oyeyemi
The first book I really loved was 'Little Women' - I'd have given anything for Beth to have been allowed to live; I remember crying very much over her death, trying to make the words change just by staring at them. I loved 'Anne of Green Gables,' too; 'What Katy Did;' and 'Peter Pan.'
- Helen Oyeyemi
A few people have tried to make me see that my writing isn't quite their thing by saying to me: 'What about realism?' To which my general response is, 'What about it?' However, I wouldn't be at all surprised if one of my favorite writers, Marilynne Robinson, was to say something similar if asked 'What about the fantastic?'
- Helen Oyeyemi
I'm greedy about cities - I like to form my impressions of them on my own, and on foot as far as possible, looking and listening, having conversations with bridges and streets and riverbanks, conversations I tend not to be aware of until a little later, when I find myself returning to those places to say hello again, even if only in memory.
- Helen Oyeyemi
The way 'The Icarus Girl' came about was by me just basically bragging it with a literary agent and telling him I'd written 150 pages when I'd only written 20. And I think it was when the agent e-mailed me back right the very next day after sending him the 20 pages and asking to see the other 130.
- Helen Oyeyemi
I do love Shirley Jackson, but I don't deserve to be named in connection with her. I remember reading 'The Haunting of Hill House' and having goosebumps for hours. The way she builds narrative pressure in that book is just amazing. I think you could reread it a few times and actually go out of your mind.
- Helen Oyeyemi
I sometimes get asked: 'How come the men in your stories don't have such strong characters?' And I'm like: 'I don't care.' I just want to find out about all the different lives a woman can live. But my feminism has never been against men. It's not erasure; it's just they're not the focus. In real life, they're quite nice.
- Helen Oyeyemi
I don't think my writing has much to do with my age. For me, my biography is more about what I was reading at what age. It's more of an intellectual thing of wanting to be free to write and think without being too bound by categorisation. I don't think I'm made for these times; I feel more like an old-fashioned writer.
- Helen Oyeyemi
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