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Quote by Maxine Hong Kingston

Work

The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts

This memoir delves into the complex identity of the author, a Chinese-American woman, as she navigates her cultural heritage and personal experiences. The narrative intertwines her own girlhood memories with traditional Chinese stories and legends, creating a rich tapestry of personal and cultural history. more

Author

Maxine Hong Kingston
Maxine Hong Kingston

Maxine Hong Kingston is an influential American author known for her pioneering work in the genre of creative non-fiction. Born on October 27, 1940, she has made significant contributions to American literature with her distinctive narrative style and exploration of cultural identity. Her most notable works include 'The Woman Warrior' and 'China Men', which have been pivotal in shaping the narrative of Asian American identity. more

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“She had always taken it as a given that emigrating was a misfortune. But, now she wonders, wasn't it instead an illusion of misfortune, an illusion suggested by the way people perceive an émigré? Wasn't she interpreting her own life according to the operating instructions other people had handed her? And she thought that even though it had been imposed from the outside and against her will, her emigration was perhaps, without her knowing it, the best outcome for her life.”

“Doseljenici su, otkrio je to posmatrajući tetku i teču, a docnije je to primetio i kod sebe, razapeti između svojih maštarija. Budućnost uvek dolazi i stoga nikada nije tu, prošlost uvek odlazi. Vreme je dvostruko, razdvojeno u sebi. Prostor, takođe. Ovde smo ali nismo odavde; odande smo, ali nismo tamo. Život je neprestano premošćavanje, ukrštenica na dva jezika; svet je volja i predstava koja se odigrava, simultano, na dve pozornice postavljenje jedna do druge. Predstave su složene, bogatih kostima, šminka je operska, scena je prepuna realističnih detalja, mehanička pomagala konstruisana su sa preciznošću časovničara. Možda baš zbog te složenosti, ponekad se dogodi da se namah dotaknu, da se na jednoj od pozornica odigra nešto što predstavlja drugu predstavu i ukazuje na nju. Kanapi skriveni u tami iza kulisa međusobno se zapliću, neobjašnjivo, bog iz mašine iznenada aterira na pogrešnu binu i progovara drugim jezikom, privlači pažnju glumca koji vidi drugog glumca kako na susednoj bini igra osobu istog imena, i zastaje, muca, čuje šaptača ali ne reaguje, zbunjen slikom koja, budući da je on glumac, nije ništa manje stvarna od njega”