American writer Quote by Porochista Khakpour
“I always read the Latin American writers. I love so many of them: Gabriel García Márquez, José Donoso, Alejo Carpentier, Jorge Luis Borges, Clarice Lispector. I also love a lot of American experimental writers and surrealist European writers. But perhaps The Persian Book of Kings was the greatest influence - I encourage people to look at it. There is such a wealth of incredible stories.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: Literary Influences, 2020
She admires diverse writers but credits an ancient Persian epic as her greatest inspiration, urging others to explore it.
In simple terms: Ancient Persian epic shaped her writing; she recommends reading it.
Key Takeaway
Read classic epics to broaden literary perspective.
Themes
literature
inspiration
cultural heritage
Mood
curious
inspired
Type
educational
literary
When to use this quote
- creative writing workshops
- book clubs
- academic curricula
Key Concepts
magical realism
surrealism
historical narrative
Questions to Reflect On
- What lessons can contemporary writers draw from ancient epics?
- How does cultural context affect interpretation?
A Different Perspective
Modern readers may find the epic’s style challenging.
![“There [DreamTigers by Jorge Luis Borges] were these little fablesque things, you know, dream tigers, beautiful, beautiful pieces that when you read them had the power of a long piece, but they were prose, and they had the power of poetry, in that the last line wasn't the end, it was a…” quote by Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/873/sandra-cisneros-862_beautiful_there-dreamtigers-by-jorge-luis-borges-w_1879835.jpg)
![“[Jorge Luis Borges] had short stories, and I was trying to learn how to write short stories, and then he had these things in the middle that were like fables, and I loved hearing fables.” quote by Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a46/sandra-cisneros-862_borges_jorge-luis-borges-had-short-stories-and_102630.jpg)
![“It [9/11 tragedy] has affected us on so many levels: economically, morally, spiritually, ethically. It's been all over the place. A new American identity emerged - we now live in a very different America. This is the power of the definitive event.” quote by Porochista Khakpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3b7/porochista-khakpour-20047_affected_it-9-11-tragedy-has-affected-us-on-so-ma_821622.jpg)
