It is very difficult for a writer of my generation, if he is honest, to pretend indifference to the work of Somerset Maugham. He was always so entirely there.
Interpretation
Gore Vidal expresses the profound influence that Somerset Maugham had on writers of his time.
In this quote, Gore Vidal reflects on the significant impact of Somerset Maugham's writing on his generation. He acknowledges the challenge of remaining indifferent to Maugham's work, emphasizing how Maugham's presence and authenticity in his writing has left an indelible mark on those who write after him. This suggests a deep respect for Maugham's craft and highlights the interconnectedness of literary influences across generations.
In practice
In a speech about literary influences, one could reference this quote to highlight the significance of past writers.
We must declare ourselves, become known; allow the world to discover this subterranean life of ours which connects kings and farm boys, artists and clerks. Let them see that the important thing is not the object of love, but the emotion itself.
American writers want to be not good but great; and so are neither.
Writing fiction has become a priestly business in countries that have lost their faith.
The important thing is not the object of love, but the emotion itself.
For the average American, freedom of speech is simply the freedom to repeat what everyone else is saying and no more.
Ayn Rand's 'philosophy' is nearly perfect in its immorality, which makes the size of her audience all the more ominous and symptomatic as we enter a curious new phase in our society.... To justify and extol human greed and egotism is to my mind not only immoral, but evil.
Literary men are . . . a perpetual priesthood.
So many Indian novels, quite unfairly, do not get the prominence they should because they have been written in a language other than English.
I am still bowled over by this great young adult novel by David Levithan called 'Every Day,' which is about a character with no gender or body who wakes up every day in the body of a different person. It's a really impressive execution of a really great premise.
Americans think African writers will write about the exotic, about wildlife, poverty, maybe AIDS. They come to Africa and African books with certain expectations.
There is something I keep wanting to say about reading short stories. I am doing it now, because I many never have another occasion. Stories are not chapters of novels. They should not be read one after another, as if they were meant to follow along. Read one. Shut the book. Read something else. Come back later. Stories can wait.
Jane Austen's books, too, are absent from this library. Just that one omission alone would make a fairly good library out of a library that hadn't a book in it.
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