A collection of writings about writing, reading and readers, and more or less consumed literary encounters with authors, Dear Friend, from MyLife I Write to You in Your Life by Yiyun Li is very much different from any kind of nonfiction books dedicated to literature and literary inspirations in general. And it has not only to do with the choice of authors.
´Any young mind has to fall in love with a book once to learn how to read´. What it really make the difference in this book is the dialogue between memory/memories and books that are directly placed into an everyday life context. Writing and life do play the existential game together and reading, obvious but not enough literarily outlined, it is not only a source of literary inspiration but also changing the perspective about the reader´s life. Indeed, the books we read may bring us to worlds outside our imagination only few pages ago. And this is not necessarily an exercise of imagination, but a life changing decision. What we read may change us dramatically.
Besides being entinced to add to my TBR new authors and titles - McGahern´s memoir being one of them - I was also impressed by the tone of the writing, inquisitive in understanding the love for letters and writing in general, without assuming, but scientifically dissecting interests, episodes from the past, memory meanderings.
I will be curious to read some of Yiyun Li´s books soon as well, but until then, I am left with the taste of a different literary love, which dedicates the mind to understand the world, through books, words and writing.
Rating: 4.5 stars
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