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Quote by Nella Larsen

Work

Passing

This book delves into the complexities of racial identity and the societal constructs that shape it, set against the backdrop of the early 20th century. more

Author

Nella Larsen
Nella Larsen

Nella Larsen was an American novelist known for her exploration of race and identity in the United States. Born on April 13, 1891, she was a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance. Her novel 'Passing' is a seminal work that delves into the themes of racial passing and the psychological effects of racial identity. She passed away on March 30, 1964. more

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“I think of the chimp, the one with the talking hands. In the course of the experiment, that chimp had a baby. Imagine how her trainers must have thrilled when the mother, without prompting, began to sign her newborn. Baby, drink milk. Baby, play ball. And when the baby died, the mother stood over the body, her wrinkled hands moving with animal grace, forming again and again the words: Baby, come hug, Baby come hug, fluent now in the language of grief.”

“My working method has more often than not involved the subtraction of weight. I have tried to remove weight, sometimes from people, sometimes from heavenly bodies, sometimes from cities; above all I have tried to remove weight from the structure of stories and from language. . . . Maybe I was only then becoming aware of the weight, the inertia, the opacity of the world--qualities that stick to the writing from the start, unless one finds some way of evading them.”