I think in Arabic at times, but when I'm writing it's all in English. And I don't try to make my English sound more Arabic, because it would be phony - I'm imagining Melanie Griffith trying to do a German accent in Shining Through. It just wouldn't work. But the language in my head is a specific kind of English. It's not exactly American, not exactly British. Because everything is filtered through me, through my experience. I'm Lebanese, but not that much. American, but not that much. Gay, but not that much. The only thing I'm sure of, really, is that I'm under 5'7".
Rabih AlameddineI wonder whether there is such a thing as a sense of individuality. Is it all a facade, covering a deep need to belong? Are we simply pack animals desperately trying to pretend we are not?
Rabih AlameddineHow can I expect readers to know who I am if I do not tell them about my family, my friends, the relationships in my life? Who am I if not where I fit in the world, where I fit in the lives of the people dear to me?
Rabih AlameddineMe? I was lost for long time. I didnโt make any friends for few years. You can say I made friends with two trees, two big trees in the middle of the school [โฆ]. I spent all my free time up in those trees. Everyone called me Tree Boy for the longest time. [โฆ]. I preferred trees to people. After that I preferred pigeons, but it was trees first.
Rabih Alameddine