Once I stop being a citizen of the U.S.S.R., I will not stop being a Russian poet.
Interpretation
Identity and artistry can persist beyond political affiliations.
Joseph Brodsky's quote reflects the profound connection between his identity as a Russian and his identity as a poet. He suggests that while political boundaries and citizenship may change, the core of who he is—his artistic expression and heritage—endures, emphasizing that art transcends political contexts and national identities.
In practice
This quote could be used in a discussion about the role of artists in times of political upheaval.
Basically, it's hard for me to assess myself, a hardship not only prompted by the immodesty of the enterprise, but because one is not capable of assessing himself, let alone his work. However, if I were to summarize, my main interest is the nature of time. That's what interests me most of all. What time can do to a man.
One always pulls the trigger out of self-interest and quotes history to avoid responsibility or pangs of conscience.
On the whole, infinity is a fairly palpable aspect of this business of publishing, if only because it extends a dead author's existence beyond the limits he envisioned, or provides a living author with a future he cannot measure. In other words, this business deals with the future which we all prefer to regard as unending.
The invention of ethical and political doctrines, which blossomed into our own social sciences, is a product of times when things appeared manageable. The same goes for the criticism of those doctrines, though as a voice from the past, this criticism proved prophetic.
Try not to pay attention to those who will try to make life miserable for you. There will be a lot of those - in the official capacity as well as the self-appointed.
To put it in plain language, Russia is that country where the name of a writer appears not on the cover of his book, but on the door of his prison cell.
Artists are here to disturb the peace.
Ladies bathed before noon, after their three o'clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum.
If there is a magic in story writing, and I am convinced that there is, no one has ever been able to reduce it to a recipe that can be passed from one person to another. The formula seems to lie solely in the aching urge of the writer to convey something he feels important to the reader. If the writer has that urge, he may sometimes but by no means always find the way to do it.
It takes some courage to write fiction about politically controversial topics. The dread is you'll be labeled a political writer.
What I wanted in life always was to write something as good as 'Pinocchio.' I wanted to write. I wanted to evolve. I wanted to grow.
Natural beauty is essentially temporary and sad, hence the impression of obscene mockery which artificial flowers give us.
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