The idea of some people being less than people is poison to any society and needs to be named as such in order to halt its spread before it turns the soul of a society septic.
Richard FlanaganRead
Generally, literary prizes are significant not for who the winner is but the discussion they create around books.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Literary prizes foster important conversations about literature rather than just celebrating individual authors.
Richard Flanagan's quote highlights the value of literary prizes beyond merely identifying a winner; it emphasizes the dialogue and discussions that prizes generate about literature and its relevance. The conversations sparked by awards can elevate the literary landscape, allowing diverse voices and perspectives to be explored and appreciated, which enriches the cultural discourse surrounding books.
Themes
Literary PrizesBooksDiscussionAwardsLiterature
In practice
Example use cases
In a workshop on literature, discussing this quote can encourage participants to reflect on the impact of literary awards.
More from Richard Flanagan
All quotes βI never know what I am writing. The moment you know what you're writing, you're writing nothing worth reading.
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My father was a Japanese prisoner of war, a survivor of the Thai-Burma Death Railway, built by a quarter of a million slave labourers in 1943. Between 100,000 and 200,000 died.
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If 30 Australians drowned in Sydney Harbour, it would be a national tragedy. But when 30 or more refugees drown off the Australian coast, it is a political question.
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Is it easier for a man to live his life again as a fish, than to accept the wonder of being human? So alone, so frightened, so wanting for what we are afraid to give tongue to.
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I do not share the pessimism of the age about the novel. They are one of our greatest spiritual, aesthetic and intellectual inventions. As a species it is story that distinguishes us, and one of the supreme expressions of story is the novel. Novels are not content. Nor are they are a mirror to life or an explanation of life or a guide to life. Novels are life, or they are nothing.
Richard FlanaganRead
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