Chang-Rae Lee

We read and remember certain writers because they offer distinctive voices and perspectives, because they've given themselves over completely and passionately to…

— Chang-Rae Lee

A tale, like the universe, they tell us, expands ceaselessly each time you examine it, until there’s finally no telling exactly where…

— Chang-Rae Lee

“And while it's easy to say this is a situation to be avoided, isn't this what we also fear and crave simultaneously,…

— Chang-rae Lee

When I'm describing wartime activities or violence I don't want to be too ornate, to prettify the picture. Once we trace them…

— Chang-Rae Lee

You can be affected by a person because of something particular they said or did but sometimes how a person was, a…

— Chang-Rae Lee

I wanted to write about the Korean War, but I had no entry into it that made the kind of sense it…

— Chang-Rae Lee

Before I start my work in the morning, I need to have quickly browsed the entire paper, noting articles that I want…

— Chang-Rae Lee

For sometimes you can't help but crave some ruin in what you love.

— Chang-Rae Lee

I can put together a pretty decent meal from whatever happens to be in the refrigerator and the pantry. I like the…

— Chang-Rae Lee

I'd always wanted to write something about the Korean War because of my heritage. My father lost his brother during the war,…

— Chang-Rae Lee

Don’t sanctuaries become prisons, and vice versa, foremost in the mind?

— Chang-Rae Lee

No place is perfect, but I admire Oahu for its offering of the tropical and the urban, and then its Asian-inflected culture…

— Chang-Rae Lee

I think book clubs should read more contemporary poetry.

— Chang-Rae Lee

All of my books really do look at that to degrees of difference. Technically, I do enjoy the flashback! But not just…

— Chang-Rae Lee

“Fan would have expected that one or two of the Girls would have long rebelled at spending a life in a room,…

— Chang-rae Lee

We grow up with this idea that we're all individual agents. We work, make our money, have our place to live and…

— Chang-Rae Lee

“I know again why I favor it so much here, how I esteem the hush of this suburban foliage in every season,…

— Chang-rae Lee

“And though the implication is that I am the sort who is always careful and preparing, I that that's not right, either'…

— Chang-rae Lee

“A tale, like the universe, they tell us, expands ceaselessly each time you examine it, until there is finally no telling exactly…

— Chang-rae Lee

It's just a weird idea to me because each book is a complete universe unto itself, so why would I want this…

— Chang-Rae Lee

Like most people, Im fascinated by characters who are completely flawed personalities, riven by anguish and doubt, and are psychologically suspect.

— Chang-Rae Lee

I suppose people might consider me a 'loose' reader, as I seem willing to read anything of quality thinking and prose.

— Chang-Rae Lee

For if there is ever a moment when we are most vulnerable, it’s when we’re closest to the idea of the attained…

— Chang-Rae Lee

Obviously loss of family is huge and critical, but I think really it's more about losing a sense of family. The horror…

— Chang-Rae Lee

It's not that I wrote those details, but photos can give you the confidence that you have a real feel for the…

— Chang-Rae Lee