All imperfection is easier to tolerate if served up in small doses.
Wislawa SzymborskaRead
I usually write for the individual reader -though I would like to have many such readers. There are some poets who write for people assembled in big rooms, so they can live through something collectively. I prefer my reader to take my poem and have a one-on-one relationship with it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the intimate connection between a poet and the individual reader rather than the collective experience in large gatherings.
Wislawa Szymborska expresses a preference for writing poetry that engages the individual reader on a personal level. She contrasts this with poets who aim to evoke a collective experience among large audiences, suggesting that the true essence of her work lies in fostering a private and meaningful relationship between her words and each reader.
Themes
PoetryIndividualIntimacyReadingConnection
In practice
Example use cases
Use this quote in a workshop about the importance of personal interpretation in poetry.
More from Wislawa Szymborska
All quotes βI started earning a living as a poet rather early on.
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But they know about us, they know, the four corners, and the chairs nearby us. Discerning shadows also know, and even the table keeps quiet.
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I prefer the absurdity of writing poems to the absurdity of not writing poems.
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I've reached the age of self-knowledge, so I don't know anything. People who claim that they know something are responsible for most of the fuss in the world.
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Every beginning is only a sequel, after all, and the book of events is always open halfway through.
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