Is not just, or even necessarily, a justification of his artistic prowess but his ability to play into what white readers and audiences want to read and hear. Better works that illustrate narratives that don't play into or cater specifically to the gaze have not been recognized

I mean I don't even want to talk about how successful Asian writers in every genre and sphere almost all play into either narratives of exoticism or Asian inferiority/victimhood, etc. It's not just commercial success either but also academic recognition!

How airtight a book like Dealing in Desire had to be just to be published in sociology because the story of Asian ascendency and agency pissed people off - and even then Dr. Hoang said that it was originally published in 'Asian studies' because sociology didn't like it!

Just to be clear I’m not endorsing this and think it’s a bad thing

Also: not just in the humanities/arts/cultural sociology! I’ll always remember when I took an economic sociology class and the term ‘guanxi’ was enshrined in canon like some reified Eastern truth when all it means is relationships

@inightyDAB struggling to understand your point here, are you suggesting that orientalist writing is justified because thats what audiences demand and what makes money?this is extremely disagreeable to me, but im willing to believe im misreading you lol

@caoimheiism No im saying its a bad thing

@inightyDAB If I wanted to appeal to mainland Chinese or Vietnamese readers I’d probably have to say something they find interesting as well.

@inightyDAB Got to hear RF Kuang talk about this and other published industry related things at a conference earlier this month. Very interesting stuff.

@inightyDAB Well then it sounds like the goal of getting famous is not an adequate justification for art!

@inightyDAB Facts Thats why I hate matcha

@inightyDAB Am I the only person in the world who flipped through a book of Vuong's poetry at random and decided I liked the authorial voice without realizing he was Asian or even stumbling across a poem that dealt in diaspora themes? I thought it was a white woman writing about her mother

@inightyDAB i keep thinking about this and chuckling

@inightyDAB pls explain how "stupidly difficult it is" to me

@inightyDAB YES EXACTLY

@inightyDAB Asians are generally not good fiction writers imo

@inightyDAB be sos fucking fr rn

@inightyDAB Then just publish in Vietnam? Like? Go ahead?

@inightyDAB what's your point here? do you see you write as you write or do you need to see people nodding at the fact that you write to see that you write?