Chekhov's Mistress
“Were we to choose our leaders on the basis of their reading experience…”
Writer’s Almanac, Joseph Brodsky, someone who has read a lot of Dickens
The Writer’s Almanac tells us that today is the birthday of Russian born poet Joseph Brodsky who came to America in 1972 after being persecuted in his homeland, and later won the Nobel prize and became the Poet Laureate of the United States in 1991.
Given our tumultuous and pitiful state of U.S. affairs, I think this quote from Brodsky is particularly apt:
“Were we to choose our leaders on the basis of their reading experience and not their political programs, there would be much less grief on earth. I believe . . . that for someone who has read a lot of Dickens to shoot his like in the name of an idea is harder than for someone who has read no Dickens.”
Well, I think it is safe to say that if we chose our leaders on the basis of their reading, our current unfortunate choice (???) of a president would not have even been in the running.
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About this Post
- Posted by: Bud Parr
- Date: May 24, 2004
- Filed Under:
Wise Men Fish Here: Literature
- Comments:0
- Links to this Post: Technorati
