A Chronicle Of Early Failure I

“Becoming a writer is not a “career decision” like becoming a doctor or a policeman: you don't chose it so much as you get chosen, and once you accept the fact that you're not fit for anything else, you have to be prepared to walk a long, hard road for the rest of your days. Unless you turn out to be a favorite of the gods (and woe to the man who banks on that), your work will never bring in enough to support you, and if you mean to have a roof over your head and not starve to death you must resign yourself to doing other work to pay the bills” (Auster, 1998: 4).

AUSTER, Paul (1998). Hand To Mouth. A Chronicle Of Early Failure. London: Faber And Faber.

#91

“Brecht held that an actor should play his role from a distance, almost tongue-in-cheek, as though commenting on the part rather than losing himself in it. He felt that even the backstage activity should be made obvious to the audience. The point of theater, to Brecht, wasn't for the spectators to lose themselves in the play, but to consider the issues raised, reflect on the interactions of the characters, think about different possibilities and outcomes” (Dirda, 2008: 37)

DIRDA, Michael (2008). “Spellbound” in The New York Review Of Books, December 4 – 17, Volume LV, Number 19. New York: The New York Review Of Books.