Albanian - Novelist | January 28, 1936 -
I work only in the morning from 10 to noon. I still write by hand. I interrupt my writing when I feel that I've discovered something beautiful or, on the contrary, when I feel discontent.
Ismail Kadare
WorkMorningBeautifulWritingFeel
Literature led me to freedom, not the other way round.
FreedomMeLiteratureWayRoundLed
For a writer, personal freedom is not so important. It is not individual freedom that guarantees the greatness of literature; otherwise, writers in democratic countries would be superior to all others. Some of the greatest writers wrote under dictatorship - Shakespeare, Cervantes.
FreedomGreatnessLiteraturePersonal
The great universal literature has always had a tragic relation with freedom. The Greeks renounced absolute freedom and imposed order on chaotic mythology, like a tyrant.
FreedomGreatLiteratureAlwaysLike
For a writer, New York works well. Literary work is very elitist. I worked two hours a day, maximum, and the time after that was very agreeable. I walked a lot with pleasure. Those two hours augmented the day. I wrote more here than in Paris, an entire chapter of a new novel.
WorkTimeDayNew YorkNewChapter
I thought for a long time about leaving Albania, but at the same time to play a role in its life.
LifeTimeThoughtLongPlayLeaving
Having spent the greater part of my life under a Communist dictatorship, I am very familiar with the Bolshevik mentality according to which an author in general, and an eminent author in particular, is always guilty, and must be punished accordingly.
LifeI AmMy LifeGuiltyAlways
It is well known that in the Communist countries, and especially in my own, Albania, readers were often called upon to demonstrate their vigilance by detecting and denouncing the 'errors' of authors.
My OwnOwnCommunistWellErrors
Guidebooks used to write the name of my city in two ways: Gjirokaster in Albanian, and Argyrokastron for foreigners. The classical-sounding name somehow gave it better credentials, because people in the Balkans famously exaggerate and often call their villages cities.
PeopleCityNameBetterWriteTwo
Copyright © 2024 QuotesDict Ismail Kadare quotes