Aleksandar Hemon Quotes, born September 9, 1964, in Sarajevo, Bosnia (then Yugoslavia), is a Bosnian-American fiction writer, essayist, and critic whose works explore displacement, identity, and memory. After moving to Chicago in 1992 when the Bosnian War began, he taught himself English and published acclaimed works like The Lazarus Project (2008), a National Book Award finalist, The Book of My Lives (2013), and Nowhere Man (2002). A MacArthur “Genius” Grant recipient, Hemon’s writing, translated into multiple languages, blends raw emotion with sharp wit, earning praise in The New Yorker and The Paris Review. These 15 quotes—sourced from his books, interviews, public statements, and posts on X—reflect his insights on home, storytelling, sorrow, and the human condition, capturing his profound and lyrical voice.
15 Aleksandar Hemon Quotes
- “Home is where somebody notices when you are no longer there.” (The Lazarus Project, 2008, p. 3)
- “When I look at my old pictures, all I can see is what I used to be but am no longer. I think: What I can see is what I am not.” (The Lazarus Project, 2008, p. 40)
- “All the lives I could live, all the people I will never know, never will be, they are everywhere. That is all that the world is.” (The Lazarus Project, 2008, p. 125)
- “I suppose I’m interested in sorrow, which is very different from depression or despair. Sorrow is continuous with the world; it allows for creativity.” (Interview, BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “The hopeless hope is one of the early harbingers of spring, bespeaking an innocent belief that the world might right its wrongs and reverse its curses simply because the trees are coming into leaf.” (The Book of My Lives, 2013, p. 56)
- “I have two homes, like someone who leaves their hometown and/or parents and then establishes a life elsewhere. Sarajevo is home, Chicago is home.” (BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “My country’s main exports are stolen cars and sadness.” (The Lazarus Project, 2008, p. 76)
- “I gradually became aware that my interiority was inseparable from my exteriority, that the geography of my city was the geography of my soul.” (The Book of My Lives, 2013, p. 38)
- “For people who are displaced, you can reconstruct the story of your life from the objects you have access to, but if you don’t have the objects then there are holes in your life.” (BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “The privilege of a middle-class, stable, bourgeois life is that you can pretend that you are not complicated and project yourself as a solid, uncomplicated person, with refined life goals and achievements.” (InspiringQuotes.us, n.d.)
- “Living in a foreign language forces you to question and deconstruct what you know, especially about yourself.” (Bookey, 2023)
- “I don’t believe in inspiration. I write when I can’t avoid writing anymore.” (Interview, Believermag.com, 2010)
- “The beauty of literature—also its limit—is that it is inescapably personal, even if you’re writing science fiction.” (Interview, TheGuardian.com, 2013)
- “Svijet je pun čuda, na svakom nivou.” (Post on X, @zurnal_info, 2025-06-07)
- “If you wait long enough, something will happen—there has never been a time when nothing happened.” (The Lazarus Project, 2008, p. 103)
These Aleksandar Hemon quotes weave displacement, sorrow, and storytelling into a profound tapestry, urging us to embrace the complexities of home and identity. Which quote resonates with your journey? Share it in the comments and keep Hemon’s lyrical wisdom alive!
Emma Thompson
Hi, I'm Emma Thompson, founder of MyLittleDesire. I share relationship advice, love quotes, and thoughtful gift ideas to help you express your feelings and strengthen your bonds. Let's celebrate love together!
Email – business@mylittledesire.com
