Do Ethnic Writers Write for Everyone?

Very serendipitously, I just came upon a post at GalleyCat that mentions how during and interview:

“Wall Street Journal, Robert Hughes comes right out and asks [Jhumpa Lapiri], “Have you ever
thought of writing about non-Indians?
” To which her answer is, actually, “I
don’t think that way when I’m writing stories. I just write from the point of
view of some individual, trying to form a character who happens to be those
things.”

Wow, no way, seriously? I’m offended and I wasn’t there and don’t even have nothing to do with it.

This question would never come up if the author wasn’t a person of color and a woman at that.

Can you imagine – asking any of the “DWEM” who they wrote for? Of course not – because by default they wrote for everyone, while any one else – woman or other minority – write for ‘their people’ – indicating the persistence of the idea that this sort of lit. cannot transcend marginalization and thereby doesn’t speak to everyone – like a darn good book should.

I know better, I can’t be the only one.

Thoughts?

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