The writer is the person who stands outside society, independent of affiliation and independent of influence.
Don DelilloRead
It's no accident that my first novel was called Americana. This was a private declaration of independence, a statement of my intention to use the whole picture, the whole culture.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the author's desire to capture the entirety of culture in his work.
In this quote, Don DeLillo reflects on the significance of his first novel, 'Americana,' as more than just a title; it represents a personal commitment to showcase the complete American experience. By mentioning a 'private declaration of independence', he conveys his intention to explore and depict the rich tapestry of American culture in a holistic manner, rather than focusing on fragmented or superficial elements.
In practice
This quote can be used in a discussion about the significance of cultural representation in literature.
The writer is the person who stands outside society, independent of affiliation and independent of influence.
War is the form nostalgia takes when men are hard-pressed to say something good about their country.
American writers ought to stand and live in the margins, and be more dangerous.
For me, writing is a concentrated form of thinking.
I used to think it was possible for an artist to alter the inner life of the culture. Now bomb-makers and gunmen have taken that territory.
[I]n the American soul there is a lonely individual standing in a vast landscape. β¨He is either on a horse or driving a car, depending, and either way heβs carrying a gun. β¨This is one of the essential images in American mythology.
The house has to please everyone, contrary to the work of art which does not. The work is a private matter for the artist. The house is not.
I'm nothing else but an artist, I'm sure, and delighted to be.
Now its raining its pouring the old man is snoring now I lay me down to sleep I hear the sirens in the street all my dreams are made of chrome I have no way to get back home Iβd rather die before I wake like Marilyn Monroe and throw my dreams out in the street and the rain make βem grow
As a writer, I absorb stories, allow them to churn within my own head and heart - often for years - until I find a way of telling them that fits both my time and temperament.
I have never followed fashion. What is fashion to me? I just think of things that inspire me, that inspire women, and I design that way.
The role of the musician is to go from concept to full execution. Put another way, it's to go from understanding the content of something to really learning how to communicate it and make sure it's well-received and lives in somebody else.
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