As a writer, one is obliged to release her words, to let them live in the world on their own.

I've written fiction for as long as I can remember; it's always been my preferred form of play.

As a novelist, I ask of myself only that I tell the truth and that I tell it beautifully.

I write essays to clear my mind. I write fiction to open my heart.

As a writer, one is obliged to release her words, to let them live in the world on their own.

I wrote fiction during my entire childhood, from age 4 to 18, and started writing plays when I went to Yale and Oxford.

I wouldn't mind my book being called an African novel if it didn't invite lazy readings.