American novelist and Pulitzer Prize winner exploring race, history, and identity through imaginative works
I rewrite history not to change the past, but to show new ways of seeing it and thinking about it.
When I visit a place, I feel the history in it. That history shapes how I understand the present.
Literature can be light we shine into the dark corners of history. It can show us what we prefer to ignore.
When you write about history, you make choices about which stories to tell and how to tell them. That's a moral decision.
I use imagination to enter the lives of people whose voices aren't available to me. It's a responsible place to stand.
I think of my novels as buildings. Each room is a section, each door a transition. Architecture matters.
I look for angles that people haven't seen. It requires patience, research, and willingness to be wrong along the way.