"Sri Lanka is a small island, and the war affected everybody. Everybody knew somebody who was killing or being killed."
About Ru Freeman
Ru Freeman is a notable Sri Lankan-American author whose literary contributions delve into themes of identity, resilience, and cultural conflict. Her acclaimed novel, 'A Disobedient Girl,' intricately portrays the lives of women navigating societal expectations and personal desires, reflecting her own experiences as an immigrant. Freeman's writing often emphasizes the struggle for identity, as seen in her characters who confront the complexities of their cultural backgrounds. One of her poignant ideas is that the journey of self-discovery is fraught with challenges, a sentiment she captures in her exploration of personal narratives. This focus on resilience resonates deeply with readers, as her characters embody the strength required to overcome societal constraints. Freeman's work remains relevant today, offering insights into the human experience and the ongoing quest for authenticity in a multifaceted world.
Quote collection
11 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.
"Sri Lanka is a small island, and the war affected everybody. Everybody knew somebody who was killing or being killed."
"Every new thing is a result of everything you wrote before."
"Fiona McCrae is a really amazing editor. Really smart and very astute about what a story needs."
"My life is very busy with a lot of things, and so I don't get uninterrupted time. When I do, I can just write all day."
"I think a lot, so I don't spend a lot of time actually writing - I do that part very quickly. That helps, for me. To keep track of the characters."
"War defined my entire childhood and youth and most of my adulthood too - and in the US, it continues to do so."
"I was interested in writing something that has meaning in the larger context of global conflicts anywhere."
"I really try to avoid, you know, rolling out the history. The people are so important to me, and what happens to them, how they react, how things happen to them, this is what is important. I feel that if I can tell THAT story well, then people will go and Google the rest and fill in what they need to know."
"There are other sources, but Wikipedia is a good start."
"Diatonic, he heard the word in his head. Chromatic, pentatonic, hexatonic, heptatonic, octatonic, each iteration of the scale opening innumerable possibilities for harmony. He thought about the Pythagorean major third, the Didymus comma, the way the intervals sound out of tune rather than as though they were different notes. This, he thought, was where his brilliance at mathematics bled into his love of music; music was the realm in which his mathematical brain danced."
"There is no right and wrong, and precepts are for fools. Every thing is just as it is! And we must experience things without condemning them, because if we condemn them, then we are becoming too involved."