In apartments and cottages, on the street and in the train... I listen... More and more, I turn into one large ear, always turning to another person.
Svetlana AlexievichRead
The books that I'm writing, you can write them only when you're amongst your people. You're not going to find it on the Internet. You're not going to hear it there.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Authentic writing stems from personal experiences and connections within one's community.
Svetlana Alexievich emphasizes the importance of genuine human connections and shared experiences when creating art or literature. She suggests that true inspiration for writing comes from being immersed in one’s own culture and community, rather than seeking information from external, impersonal sources like the internet. This highlights the unique value of lived experiences in the creative process.
Themes
WritingCommunityAuthenticityExperienceCreativity
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of community in artistic expression.
More from Svetlana Alexievich
All quotes →The subjects I wanted to write about - the mystery of the human soul, evil - didn't interest newspapers, and news reporting bored me.
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'Women's' war has its own colors, its own smells, its own lighting, and its own range of feelings. There are no heroes and incredible feats; there are simply people who are busy doing inhumanly human things.
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There is no need to give in to the compromise that totalitarian regimes always count on.
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I've been searching for a genre that would be most adequate to my vision of the world to convey how my ear hears and my eyes see life. I tried this and that, and finally, I chose a genre where human voices speak for themselves. But I don't just record a dry history of events and facts; I'm writing a history of human feelings.
Svetlana AlexievichRead
From the point of view of art, the butcher and the victim are equal as people. You need to see the people.
Svetlana AlexievichRead
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