Most go to prison not on account of their irreducible uniqueness as people but because they are part of a marginalized sector of the population who never had a chance, who were slated for it early on.
Rachel KushnerRead
I am just getting into Zora Neale Hurston, who is possibly a much better writer than the critics and rivals who tried to erase her from history, resulting in a life in which she worked as a maid and died in a welfare nursing home. She's clever. She does something modern to the sentence.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights Zora Neale Hurston's literary brilliance and the historical neglect she faced as an artist.
Rachel Kushner's quote reflects on the significant yet often overlooked contributions of Zora Neale Hurston to literature. It emphasizes the irony of her talent being overshadowed by critics and rivals who attempted to erase her legacy, culminating in a life that fell short of the recognition she deserved. Kushner acknowledges Hurston's modern style and cleverness, asserting the importance of acknowledging and celebrating such artists in our history.
Themes
Zora Neale HurstonLiteratureCreativityLegacyRecognitionArtistic Brilliance
In practice
Example use cases
During a literary discussion on the impact of marginalized voices in art.
More from Rachel Kushner
All quotes →Making art was really about the problem of the soul, of losing it. It was a technique for inhabiting the world. For not dissolving into it.
Rachel KushnerRead
Similar quotes
A thimbleful of red is redder than a bucketful.
Henri MatisseRead
What has praise and fame to do with poetry? Was not writing poetry a secret transaction, a voice answering a voice? So that all this chatter and praise, and blame and meeting people who admired one and meeting people who did not admire one was as ill suited as could be to the thing itself- a voice answering a voice.
Virginia WoolfRead
Acting is all about relating to the people on stage with you, even in plays that break the fourth wall. Clowning, for the most part, is the opposite. If somebody in the audience sneezes, I can count on it: I don't even have to look at Shiner; he'll have his handkerchief out. It's all about all of us in the room together.
Bill IrwinRead
My writing is inspired by where I come from, where I am today, and where I hope to go some day.
Jacqueline WoodsonRead
Under Stalin, artists weren't dissidents; all they hoped was to survive and write.
Simon Sebag-MontefioreRead
From the reader's view, a poem is more demanding than prose.
Mark StrandRead