I loved this piece so much! It brought back memories of the days back in my university. I already know I'll be thinking about this text whenever I find myself alone in 'my' room. Thank you from a fellow nymph.
A lovely, dancing piece. I had a lot of fun reading it. This line made me pause and think:
"One is divested of the need to perform. To be feminine. To be masculine. However there are times I find myself trying to be, strutting in front of a mirror, puckering my lips, and measuring the slimness of my waist, the privacy allows me the opposite sometimes."
It's so true. Sometimes we call it "practice" and other times it's habit. Heartbreaking and real.
I thought the author was a Japanese all the while, they have this quirky tendency of minutiae descriptions of the unfamiliar.
I was surprised and wondered why there was no mention of anything African, like Camus’s La Peste situated in Oran, Algeria, in which he manages not to even think about his country of birth, not even a description of a palm tree or a bougainvillea spilling its purple dices over the white washed walls.
So because I was born in India everything I write should mention something Indian... wtf, sorry, this is an insane comment but I really hope I'm just misunderstanding what you're trying to say
Because it is insane lol. And I'm the editor of the piece, so yeah, still insane. Unless you meant something totally different idk, want to give people the benefit of the doubt but as it looks and feels from my end, yes, it's insane
I think you are misplacing the meaning of the word ‘insane’, in this case, as I have expressed my thought about the this piece in a favorable term, the word does not apply, unless u think it has an ambiguous meaning diverted towards the editor, by not seeing the particular point I am citing, which is a simple question, and there’s no need to raise a hula hoop about it, it was just a simple question, as I have been thinking about why Camus’s also dissimulated his origins, as far as this piece is autobiographical, remembering where one is born in writing is not a subject of embarrassment.
I'm sensitive to folks indicating that because someone is of a certain race or from a certain place they ought to include some kind of origin/identify specific markers of any kind of their work. tbh it did sound like you were saying that, but I did still try and give the benefit of the doubt
as for the word choice itself, insane as with many words in our age, has a meaning and definition outside of what you might find the dictionary :)
For a cold shower you can have one in your bathroom. Here, we are concerned about the use of this word in a contentious situation, in an intellectual argument and disagreement and not otherwise, as it was not my intention to be rude to you or to the author. But it’s just one word after which, I’ll get on with the afternoon, if we agree or not.
Hi, Vartan. Your critique is at its core, a subdued racial policing of African art and African writers disguised as a lesson on originality. This isn't novel, as decorated Black/African writers before me have faced the same tragedy. The first tragedy is the interpretation of my work on grounds that are neither literary nor artistic. And the second tragedy is the persistence of this nature of criticism in our the literary space.
Here is what I think happened: you read the essay, and you liked it. It aligned with your definition of Western and Japanese literature. You scrolled down to find out more about the writer, and you find out that they are African. Rather than accept that you simply like this work for what it is, you decide to ask why the work was not "African" enough for you to have noticed sooner.
First, I do not need to prove that I am African enough. Do you not find it interesting that something as abstract as the "quirky tendency of minutiae descriptions of the unfamiliar" is reminiscent of Japanese literature, but I have to add markers that show that the work is African enough?
Also, if you had read closely, you would have picked on the references to Nigerian music and Nigerian food (Burnaboy, Asa, garri). This makes me question if you engaged deeply with my work before writing the critique.
I do not need to perform Africanness a certain way for your validation This is an essay about being a young adult, what would adding the "palm tree" have changed?
fucking brilliant mic drop, I really couldn't find the words due to my annoyance, and so glad you said this. 😭 I hate when this happens and I've just lived through a whole year of people expecting me to write only Indian-Canadian characters so I'm really ticked off when these kind of thoughts spring out outside academia also
Empathize with you totally here. I don't know why people expect every single writer of color to perform their cultures. However, if you try to write a quintessential African or an Indian story, they'll come and accuse you of ticking everything in some list and of trying to be woke.
Let me tell you from the start that your editor and yourself are off the mark, and beyond the point.
I will refrain from employing excessive language, but will stay within the bounds of an acceptable epistemology, keep it simple for you both to understand, and my critique, to use your logic, was just a simple question, furthermore, I refute word by word everything you say concerning your false assumptions and I quote “a subdued racial policing of African Art” etc…and I stop at this.
I will qualify all this drivel as “pabulum” to keep it brief, you might excuse this word if you will.
I mean, are u drunk?
Concerning your insinuation of African cuisine with the words Asa, Garri and the last one, let me tell you that I mistook asa with aso, which in Tagalog means dog, and Garri, with ghagra, which in South Asia means a long embroidered skirt, as for the last word, I took it to be some kind of a camote pap children with no teeth are given to accustom their digestive system to hard food.
A person cannot guess they mean whatever they mean in some lost dialect unless it is stated in some way.
Hi again. To your question on whether I am drunk, I most certainly am not. I was of the opinion that this was an intellectual argument, and I can see now that I was mistaken. It is interesting how obtuse you insist on remaining. You stated initially that it didn't appear African enough, and now the problem is that you mistook the African terms for South Asian? I do not see how that is my fault. Lost dialect? Really? That's what you went for? Goodbye, Vartan.
Whatever, But don’t incriminate me of all the ailments of the continent and the cosmos combined. I was just asking why. You could have said it’s a fiction work, not autobiographical,
What a stunning piece of work, the parallels drawn between metamorphosis, nymphs and infestation, and strangeness. Beautiful 😍
I loved this piece so much! It brought back memories of the days back in my university. I already know I'll be thinking about this text whenever I find myself alone in 'my' room. Thank you from a fellow nymph.
A lovely, dancing piece. I had a lot of fun reading it. This line made me pause and think:
"One is divested of the need to perform. To be feminine. To be masculine. However there are times I find myself trying to be, strutting in front of a mirror, puckering my lips, and measuring the slimness of my waist, the privacy allows me the opposite sometimes."
It's so true. Sometimes we call it "practice" and other times it's habit. Heartbreaking and real.
This essay took my breath away. Thank you for sharing this, it is a piece of utter beauty.
This piece is truly beautiful and well written. I cannot love it enough.
I'm really enjoying the writer interviews at the end!
This whole essay is a gorgeous metaphor!
I thought the author was a Japanese all the while, they have this quirky tendency of minutiae descriptions of the unfamiliar.
I was surprised and wondered why there was no mention of anything African, like Camus’s La Peste situated in Oran, Algeria, in which he manages not to even think about his country of birth, not even a description of a palm tree or a bougainvillea spilling its purple dices over the white washed walls.
It’s very well written nevertheless.
So why?
So because I was born in India everything I write should mention something Indian... wtf, sorry, this is an insane comment but I really hope I'm just misunderstanding what you're trying to say
This comment is not directed towards you so why you think you can use an aggressive word like “insane”?
Because it is insane lol. And I'm the editor of the piece, so yeah, still insane. Unless you meant something totally different idk, want to give people the benefit of the doubt but as it looks and feels from my end, yes, it's insane
I think you are misplacing the meaning of the word ‘insane’, in this case, as I have expressed my thought about the this piece in a favorable term, the word does not apply, unless u think it has an ambiguous meaning diverted towards the editor, by not seeing the particular point I am citing, which is a simple question, and there’s no need to raise a hula hoop about it, it was just a simple question, as I have been thinking about why Camus’s also dissimulated his origins, as far as this piece is autobiographical, remembering where one is born in writing is not a subject of embarrassment.
I'm sensitive to folks indicating that because someone is of a certain race or from a certain place they ought to include some kind of origin/identify specific markers of any kind of their work. tbh it did sound like you were saying that, but I did still try and give the benefit of the doubt
as for the word choice itself, insane as with many words in our age, has a meaning and definition outside of what you might find the dictionary :)
Uhh…What? Please, do explain…
For a cold shower you can have one in your bathroom. Here, we are concerned about the use of this word in a contentious situation, in an intellectual argument and disagreement and not otherwise, as it was not my intention to be rude to you or to the author. But it’s just one word after which, I’ll get on with the afternoon, if we agree or not.
Hi, Vartan. Your critique is at its core, a subdued racial policing of African art and African writers disguised as a lesson on originality. This isn't novel, as decorated Black/African writers before me have faced the same tragedy. The first tragedy is the interpretation of my work on grounds that are neither literary nor artistic. And the second tragedy is the persistence of this nature of criticism in our the literary space.
Here is what I think happened: you read the essay, and you liked it. It aligned with your definition of Western and Japanese literature. You scrolled down to find out more about the writer, and you find out that they are African. Rather than accept that you simply like this work for what it is, you decide to ask why the work was not "African" enough for you to have noticed sooner.
First, I do not need to prove that I am African enough. Do you not find it interesting that something as abstract as the "quirky tendency of minutiae descriptions of the unfamiliar" is reminiscent of Japanese literature, but I have to add markers that show that the work is African enough?
Also, if you had read closely, you would have picked on the references to Nigerian music and Nigerian food (Burnaboy, Asa, garri). This makes me question if you engaged deeply with my work before writing the critique.
I do not need to perform Africanness a certain way for your validation This is an essay about being a young adult, what would adding the "palm tree" have changed?
fucking brilliant mic drop, I really couldn't find the words due to my annoyance, and so glad you said this. 😭 I hate when this happens and I've just lived through a whole year of people expecting me to write only Indian-Canadian characters so I'm really ticked off when these kind of thoughts spring out outside academia also
thank you so much, this is do damn eloquent and real
Empathize with you totally here. I don't know why people expect every single writer of color to perform their cultures. However, if you try to write a quintessential African or an Indian story, they'll come and accuse you of ticking everything in some list and of trying to be woke.
Hi Sunmisola,
Let me tell you from the start that your editor and yourself are off the mark, and beyond the point.
I will refrain from employing excessive language, but will stay within the bounds of an acceptable epistemology, keep it simple for you both to understand, and my critique, to use your logic, was just a simple question, furthermore, I refute word by word everything you say concerning your false assumptions and I quote “a subdued racial policing of African Art” etc…and I stop at this.
I will qualify all this drivel as “pabulum” to keep it brief, you might excuse this word if you will.
I mean, are u drunk?
Concerning your insinuation of African cuisine with the words Asa, Garri and the last one, let me tell you that I mistook asa with aso, which in Tagalog means dog, and Garri, with ghagra, which in South Asia means a long embroidered skirt, as for the last word, I took it to be some kind of a camote pap children with no teeth are given to accustom their digestive system to hard food.
A person cannot guess they mean whatever they mean in some lost dialect unless it is stated in some way.
Take it easy.
Hi again. To your question on whether I am drunk, I most certainly am not. I was of the opinion that this was an intellectual argument, and I can see now that I was mistaken. It is interesting how obtuse you insist on remaining. You stated initially that it didn't appear African enough, and now the problem is that you mistook the African terms for South Asian? I do not see how that is my fault. Lost dialect? Really? That's what you went for? Goodbye, Vartan.
Whatever, But don’t incriminate me of all the ailments of the continent and the cosmos combined. I was just asking why. You could have said it’s a fiction work, not autobiographical,
Good luck and farewell