On Monday, May 4, Princeton professor and author Yiyun Li was awarded her second Pulitzer Prize, the Pulitzer Prize for Memoir, for her book “Things in Nature Merely Grow.”
Li has written professionally for nearly three decades and authored more than a dozen books, many of which explore themes of grief, isolation, and resilience. In “Things in Nature Merely Grow,” she reflects on her personal experiences navigating loss, hopelessness, and “doing things that work” through the grieving process of losing her two sons, Vincent and James Li, to suicide.
Just months before receiving her Pulitzer, Upper School English teacher Dan Sussman taught an eleventh to twelfth grade English seminar dedicated to Li’s work. Throughout the semester, students explored and analyzed a range of her works, including short stories and full-length novels.
“Her most recent memoir was ‘Things in Nature Merely Grow,’ and it was short, beautiful, and, in a way, simple. On a deeper level, though, that simplicity allowed students to appreciate it and get a lot out of it,” explained Sussman.
For Jason Lin ’27, a student who took the class, the memoir’s directness was what made it memorable.
“‘Things in Nature Merely Grow’ has been one of my favorite pieces that I’ve read in English; it’s a very honest reflection on a lot of very different topics,” said Lin.
Jade Montenegro ’27 similarly appreciated Li’s straightforward approach to writing about grief.
“It’s not a very mournful book … Li has a very systematic approach in the way she explains things … she wasn’t asking for anyone’s pity … she’s just trying to get through life, [and] she doesn’t need anyone else’s judgement,” said Montenegro.
Toward the end of the semester, the class also had a chance to visit Li at Princeton University, where Li teaches as the Director of the Program in Creative Writing.
“We got on a bus, went up to Princeton, spent a little over two hours with her, and everybody prepared questions to ask her. She gave us all free books, and it was literally the coolest thing ever,” reflected Sussman.
“Hearing about how she writes those characters was probably the coolest thing … Characters don’t want her to write them, and she doesn’t entirely know her characters, [but] as she writes, she gets to know her characters,” explained Montenegro.
MFS WordsWorth also connected with Li via email, where she shared her reaction to receiving the Pulitzer Prize.
“There was a moment of shock, but I also felt deeply grateful for the recognition,” stated Li.
Li also reflected on her experience meeting with MFS students and discussed what she hopes readers take away from her story.
“I had such a good time meeting the students from Dan’s class. The book is a meditation on the inexplicable and the insoluble in life, and I hope the students will understand that there are many ways to live with difficult feelings and experiences,” said Li.
