Home
Topics
Authors
:
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

Joseph Brodsky Quotes

American - Poet | May 24, 1940 - January 28, 1996

A writer is defined by the language in which he writes, and I would stick to that definition.

Language Stick Would Writer He

I am neither an Occidental writer nor a Russian writer. I am an accidental writer.

I Am Writer Accidental Nor Neither

English is the only interesting thing that's left in my life.

Life Interesting My Life Left Only

What provides you with subject matter is your own language - and that's all.

Language You Matter Own Your

The blue-collar is not supposed to read Horace, nor the farmer in his overalls Montale or Marvell. Nor, for that matter, is the politician expected to know by heart Gerard Manley Hopkins or Elizabeth Bishop. This is dumb as well as dangerous.

Heart Farmer Dangerous Dumb Know

Literature is a far more ancient and viable thing than any social formation or state. And just as the state interferes in literature, literature has the right to interfere in the affairs of state.

Literature More Right Social Ancient

Writers seem mesmerized by the state - the temporal entity. The word 'perestroika' is impressed somehow on our minds. But that is not the duty of a writer.

Duty Minds Seem Writer Word State

A writer should care about one thing - the language. To write well - that is his duty. That is his only duty.

Care Language Duty Write Well Only

The career of an esthete was nothing I ever intended.

Career Nothing Ever Intended

Poetry isn't just different from prose, it's more important for the human species.

Poetry Important More Human Just

I was fortunate enough to write about things I really love, and love can be very analytic.

Love Enough Write Things Fortunate

When you have those two languages - an analytic one like English and a synthetic, very sensual thing like Russian, you get almost a psychotic sense of humanity that permeates nearly everything. It can help you understand, and it can discourage you, because you see how little can be done.

Help Humanity You Done Understand

First Prev page 8 91011 12 13 Next page Last

Copyright © 2024 QuotesDict Joseph Brodsky quotes