Philip Roth - American Pastoral

[latenite_snacks]

"You fight your superficiality, your shallowness, so as to try to come at people without unreal expectations, without an overload of bias or hope or arrogance, as untanklike as you can be, sans cannon and machine guns and steel plating half a foot thick; you come at them unmenacingly on your own ten toes instead of tearing up the turf with your

Comments

[aqqlecrumble]

This is amazing.

[latenite_snacks]

I'm so glad you think so - and I agree!

I've been wanting to post it for weeks but, though he's basically the most awarded living author, it's not from a book but rather an interview.

After contemplating it for way too long, I finally decided that, from a book or not, it counted as a literary quote and thought that someone would appreciate it.

I'm glad I was right!

[aqqlecrumble]

I've never heard something so raw, and yet so personally honest. It's absolutely amazing; and although it hasn't come from a text (as such)- for it to have come straight from his mouth has made his work, for me, even more miraculous.
Thankyou very, very much for posting it.

[latenite_snacks]

You are so welcome.

It's always a wonderful experience to know that something that has touched me has touched other people as well.

[sarahpee]

It is really amazing to read this and it gives me this feeling of complete closure that I can't even explain. A few weeks ago, maybe more recently, I wrote something about knowing people, about how that is such a lie, about its impossibility, and I felt so confused and consumed by it all, and the concept was so bothersome and troubling to me. After writing my piece on it I felt better but did not feel generally over it. Reading this quote absolutely makes the world seem smaller and more accessable, even if it doesn't turn all of my questions into answers. Thankyou for posting this quote. I cannot believe how perfectly it fits into my current thoughts.

[latenite_snacks]

Reading about your experience gave me chills.

Roth has changed the way I think about so many things in my life; has made me feel more 'okay' about a lot of things I'd previously though were not 'okay'. I'm so glad that he's made an impact on you as well.

[latenite_snacks]

I've edited the post, but wanted to let you know that this is actually from American Pastoral. It's an amazing book and I encourage everyone to check it out. It's full of gems like this.

[fuzzyedges]

I know the OP said above its from an interview but I'm sure I recognise it from American Pastoral (amazing book). I don't have my copy here to check though, grrrr.

[latenite_snacks]

Yes, it is American Pastoral. I've only read the book 4 times, you'd think I'd have recognized it, but when the source told me it was from an interview...

[mo_ciui_chroi]

WOW thank you for sharing this.

[latenite_snacks]

Thank you for enjoying it.

As I've edited the post to indicate, it's actually from his book American Pastoral. Which is amazing. If you haven't read it, I encourage you to do so. There are a million gems like this in it.