“Not every writer is going to be immortal, even writers who are very popular in their lifetime often sink out of relevance later on. You have to write for yourself finally.” – Jonathan Galassi (from Nathalie Handal interview in Guernica)
First, last, and always
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2 thoughts on “First, last, and always”
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I needed that! Thanks, Tetman.
You’re welcome, Rebecca. When I was a younger writer and couldn’t write worth a damn but didn’t know it yet and wouldn’t give up–and good that I didn’t, because I did get better over time with study and practice–I used to console myself by thinking, “Remember The Lamplighter!” The Lamplighter was one of the best-selling novels of the 1850s, and no one reads it now. Moby-Dick was one of the worst-selling novels of the 1850s, and no one reads it either, but more people read it than read The Lamplighter, and it has a much better reputation.
I’m not going to get rich and famous through what I write. I’m going to write it anyway. It is my white whale and I shall pursue it until my lamp goes out.