Kadish Morris: You have said that this is the book (Time is a Mother) of which you are proudest in terms of craft. Why? Ocean Vuong: It’s important for me to say that being proud is not so much a claim on quality or achievement in the work, or lack thereof, but of satisfying the artistic potential within oneself. With my other books, I’ve always felt that there was room left over in the glass, that I didn’t fill it to the brim when it was published, mostly because I didn’t have the courage to execute all my techniques, or that they weren’t truly refined (the use of humour, for example). With this book, I felt the water was finally spilling over the top, which is both a relief but also perhaps a reason to mourn. Is this it? Have I stopped growing? Have I caught up with myself? I don’t know – but if that’s the case, then I would be perfectly happy with that. I may be alone in thinking this, but I truly don’t believe that a writer should just keep writing as long as they’re alive. I see my career not by how much I can produce but by how the work can get me to where I can meaningfully stop and be satisfied with what I’ve done. I’m more interested in stopping well rather than endlessly creating. - Ocean Vuong (from this June 2023 Guardian interview)
