The writer should always remember the example of Dostoevsky who, being the staunchest critic of nihilism, is considered by nihilists to be one of their own. This is only because Dostoevsky puts himself entirely from the point of view of his characters, so that when they manifest themselves, the ideas of their creator are indistinguishable. More than effort, achieving this level of artistic expression requires a predisposition: one that seeks, above all, to do justice to the object portrayed; one that, in a word, we call sincerity.
Tag: literature
Identifying the Political Leanings of Writers
There is an infallible way of identifying the political leanings of writers who deal with this subject in literature. The technique is very simple, and boils down to checking the treatment given to “bad” characters. On the one hand, we have a trend that creates them as always ambiguous, always complex, never entirely evil; on the other hand, we have the trend that can only paint them as stereotypes, as representing absolute evil, devoid of any virtue. The first thing to note here is the radical difference in the results: in the first case, we generally have interesting, realistic and thought-provoking works; in the second, they are practically unreadable crap, stupid even for the supporters of shameless ideology, which is not ashamed to ruin the literary endeavor. The technique, therefore, shows less the degree of political passion than the stance derived from it: the first group humanizes and seeks to understand the opponent; the second only thinks of destroying him. Nothing more needs to be said; anyone can identify them.
The Brazilian Today Grows Up…
The Brazilian today grows up without a shared cultural environment. He grows up not knowing, for example, what literature is. And if, by chance, he discovers it, if a miracle awakens his curiosity about it and he looks for the place where the great authors write, where the great critics are presenting and criticizing literary works, disseminating the best that has been written and is being written, he does not find it, because that place does not exist. What is good are yellowed and faded pages that can be bought second-hand. And it is very curious to note that today, even what is written about literature is not written, but talked about: the format of any literary criticism that remains, compelled by the audience, is video. Books and letters have become unpalatable. This staggering cultural failure, the cause of an even greater human failure, would never occur in a country that had at least one educated elite, because if it were truly educated, it would take it upon itself to do something for culture, to do something for the country. But no, no… the best thing now is not to instigate it at all, because the possible patron is an already existing and disgracefully distorted patron.
Some Experience in Literature Reveals…
Some experience in literature reveals the unpleasant truth that the most productive periods, the most fruitful inspirations, occur always and exactly during periods of greatest inner tension. The best art is made when the mind is in turmoil, often on the verge of collapse. Themes emerge, words appear and, above all, one cannot stand the imperative need to write. What a thing!