Yiyun Li
Yiyun Li
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Full Name and Common Aliases
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Yiyun Li is a Chinese-American novelist, short story writer, and essayist.
Birth and Death Dates
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Born: 1973 in Beijing, China
Resides: Currently resides in New York City, USA
Nationality and Profession(s)
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Nationality: Chinese-American
Profession: Novelist, Short Story Writer, Essayist
Early Life and Background
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Yiyun Li was born in 1973 in Beijing, China. She grew up during a tumultuous period in Chinese history, witnessing the Tiananmen Square protests as a teenager. This pivotal event had a profound impact on her life and writing, shaping her perspectives on identity, politics, and human relationships.
Li's family moved to Iowa when she was 12 years old, and she learned English while attending school in the United States. She developed a passion for literature during this period, drawn to the works of authors such as Tolstoy, Dickens, and Chekhov.
Major Accomplishments
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A Thousand Years of Good Prayers: Published in 2005, her debut short story collection was praised by critics for its poignant portrayal of Chinese-American experiences.
Gold Boy, Silver Girl: Released in 2013, Li's second novel received widespread acclaim for its nuanced exploration of family dynamics and cultural identity.
Kindness: In 2016, she published a critically acclaimed essay collection that delved into the complexities of human relationships.Notable Works or Actions
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Li's writing often explores themes of displacement, belonging, and the search for meaning. Her stories frequently incorporate elements of Chinese culture, but also grapple with universal human concerns.
Some notable works include:
A Thousand Years of Good Prayers: A short story collection that delves into the experiences of Chinese immigrants in the United States.
Gold Boy, Silver Girl: A novel that explores the complexities of family relationships and cultural identity through a coming-of-age narrative.
Kindness: An essay collection that examines the intricacies of human connections and the power of kindness.
Impact and Legacy
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Yiyun Li's work has been recognized with numerous awards, including:
PEN/Hemingway Award for Best New American Voice (2005)
Lannan Literary Fellowship (2011)
National Book Critics Circle Award nomination (2013)
Her writing continues to captivate readers and inspire writers worldwide. Her unique perspective on the immigrant experience, cultural identity, and human relationships has earned her a reputation as one of the most compelling voices in contemporary literature.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
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Yiyun Li's quotes are often sought after due to their thought-provoking insights into the complexities of human nature. Her writing has a profound impact on readers, encouraging them to reflect on their own relationships and experiences. As a celebrated author and essayist, she continues to inspire writers and thinkers with her poignant stories and essays.
Li's work is widely quoted or remembered for its:
Lyrical prose: Elegant and evocative writing style that captures the essence of human emotions.
Unflinching exploration: Her willingness to confront difficult themes, such as displacement, belonging, and cultural identity.
Universal resonance: Stories that transcend cultural boundaries, speaking to universal human concerns.
Yiyun Li's legacy will undoubtedly continue to inspire future generations of writers and readers alike.
Quotes by Yiyun Li
I had long ago banished a few words from my dictionary: never, always, forever, words that equate one day to another, one moment to another. Time is capricious. To say never or always or forever is a childish way to reason with caprice.
To kill time – an English phrase that still chills me: time can be killed but only by frivolous matters and purposeless activities. No one thinks of suicide as a courageous endeavor to kill time.
Sometimes I imagine that writing is a survey I carry out, asking everyone I encounter, in reality or in fiction: How much of your life is lived to be known by others? To be understood? How much of your life is lived to know and understand others? But like all surveys the questions are simplifications. How much does one trust others to be known, to be understood; how much does one believe in the possibilities of one person’s knowing and understanding another.
When we feel haunted, it is the pull of our own home we’re experiencing, but a more upsetting possibility is that the past has become homeless, and we are offering it a place to inhabit in the present.
Tragedy and comedy involve an audience, so they must give – sharing themselves to elicit tears and laughter. Melodrama is not such a strategist. It meets no one’s expectation but its internal need to feel.
I am not and autobiographical writer – one can’t be without a solid and explicable self – and read all autobiographical writers with the same curiosity. What kind of life permits a person the right to become his own subject?
I am aware that, every time I have a conversation with a book, I benefit from someone’s decision against silence.