02 May 2005

On Writing

"being true to yourself really means being true to all the complexities of the human spirit. And as much as we'd like to give -- and we want to be perfect, well-rounded individuals -- all of us have our quirks. We all know we've had our foibles. And we've got these embarrassing moments in our lives, and things that we're ultimately ashamed of. What writing -- what I think all the arts do -- is to reveal. Let us see again and experience again, all the ambiguities that make up -- and the contradictions that make up -- a human being: the good and the bad and how they can exist in one person and make a complex individual. And to do that, that means being very honest. Being honest all the time." ~Rita Dove, online interview

Source: http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/a_f/dove/onlineinterviews.htm

1 comment:

Ciona said...

Yeah . . . you know, I titled this "on writing" because it's in an interview where Dove is talking about writing. But it should really be called "on life." And since arts are typically imitations of life, this makes sense. But these words are so true to survival.