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
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses the quest for an artistic genre that captures the essence of human experience through sound and vision.
Svetlana Alexievich emphasizes her journey to find an appropriate medium to express her unique perception of life. She highlights the importance of human voices conveying emotions rather than merely documenting historical facts, suggesting that art should reflect the depth of human feelings and experiences.
Themes
ArtHuman ExperienceEmotionVoiceStorytelling
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture on the significance of documentary art, this quote illustrates the power of personal narratives.
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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From the point of view of art, the butcher and the victim are equal as people. You need to see the people.
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Nothing, not even human life, is more precious to us than our myths about ourselves.
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