How to Write an Autobiographical Novel

Posted on 09 February 2017 by Alexander Chee

From the author of The Queen of the Night, an essay collection exploring his education as a man, writer, and activist and how we form our identities in life and in art As a novelist, Alexander Chee has been described as masterful by Roxane Gay, incendiary by the New York Times, and brilliant by the Washington Post With How to Write an Autobiographical Novel, his first collection of nonfiction, he s sure to secure his place as one of the finest essayists of his generation as well How to Write an Autobiographical Novel is the author s manifesto on the entangling of life, literature, and politics, and how the lessons learned from a life spent reading and writing fiction have changed him In these essays, he grows from student to teacher, reader to writer, and reckons with his identities as a son, a gay man, a Korean American, an artist, an activist, a lover, and a friend He examines some of the most formative experiences of his life and the nation s history, including his father s death, the AIDS crisis, 9 11, the jobs that supported his writing Tarot reading, bookselling, cater waiting for William F Buckley the writing of his first novel, Edinburgh, and the election of Donald Trump By turns commanding, heartbreaking, and wry, How to Write an Autobiographical Novel asks questions about how we create ourselves in life and in art, and how to fight when our dearest truths are under attack. Download How to Write an Autobiographical Novel author Alexander Chee – kino-fada.fr Conversational, but thoughtful, Alexander Chee s collection of personal essays consistently demonstrates an interest in empathy, in earnestly engaging with the world Chee moves at a measured pace in these essays, steadily drifting from subject to subject, scene to scene, memory to memory He seems less interested in establishing definitive centers for his essays than in exploring a wide range of topics, making his work read as expansive and open minded a concept groups together each essay s di Conversational, but thoughtful, Alexander Chee s collection of personal essays consistently demonstrates an interest in empathy, in earnestly engaging with the world Chee moves at a measured pace in these essays, steadily drifting from subject to subject, scene to scene, memory to memory He seems less interested in establishing definitive centers...I do not read many books of essays even though I read a lot of essays online There s a big difference between reading one personal essay and reading over a dozen by the same person, there are not many writers I trust that much But I do trust Alexander Chee that much and my trust yielded significant dividends with this beautiful, complex, and moving collection.With an entire book of mostly quite personal essays you may wonder how a person may have this much to say and not just write a memoir I I do not read many books of essays e...I don t think I ll read apassionate defense and excoriation of the practice of writing Wrestling with what it means to write and to be a writer, Chee has gifted us with a collection of essays sure to be ...Breathe in this sadness, kindness, compassion, pain, and uncertainty Breathe out Breathe in This is a beautiful collection.I m now emotionally invested in making sure our planet makes it to April 2018.Oct 24 Love the cover art Feels like confirmation that we ve got an instant classic on our hands, girls.This book spoke to me on so many levels It is impossible to overstate just how much I loved these essays I have waited so long for a book like this something that could speak to my heart, mind, and soul If only this were around when I was in high schoolI have a feeling that this...I wanted to write a novel that would take a reader by the collar and run And yet I was drawn to writing stories in which nothing happened lol same broMore so than any recent book I can remember, Alexander Chee s How To Write An Autobiographical Novel has changed the way I read, the way I think, and hopefully, the way I write This is a must read for anyone attempting to find and articulate truth on the page But it s also a must read for anyone attempting to make their way through a world that tells them, something is wrong with you, something is strange about you, something, anything about you This book is a gift, and I will continue to tre More so than any recent book I can remember, Alexander Chee s How To Write An Autobiographical Novel has changed the way I read, the way I think, and ho...Wonderful and unexpected I m going to make all my writing students read this one Thank you, Mr CheeTo write is to sell a ticket to escape, not from the truth, but into it On Becoming an American Writer, Alexander CheeY all, mark 4 24 18 on your calendar, get your pre order in at your bookseller Alexander Chee s new collection of essays is stellar beyond words, this single quote one of the many sentences he wrote that just stick in the mind like a tiny bit of grit, to be worked over and polished and revisited The order of essays builds over the course of the book to a moving meditatio To write is to sell a ticket to escape, not from the truth, but into it On Becoming an American Writer, Alexander CheeY all, mark 4 24 ...

09 February 2017

Alexander Chee