Being a Negro writer these days is a racket and I'm going to make the most of it while it lasts. About twice a year I sell a story. It is acclaimed. I am a genius in the making. Thank God for this Negro literary renaissance. Long may it flourish
Interpretation
The quote expresses the challenges and opportunities of being a Black writer, emphasizing the temporary nature of success within a cultural renaissance.
Wallace Thurman's quote highlights the complex experience of being a Black writer in a time of cultural awakening. He recognizes the struggles and limitations inherent in his situation, while simultaneously celebrating his own successes and the broader movement of Negro literature. It suggests awareness of the fleeting nature of opportunity in the artistic world and a determination to make the most of it during a significant cultural period.
In practice
This quote can be used during a lecture on the significance of the Harlem Renaissance.
I was an only child. I lost both my parents. By the time I was twenty I was bald. I'm homosexual. In the way of circumstances and background to transcend I had everything an artist could possibly want. It was practically a blueprint.
I never, ever want to apologize for a film. If it's bad I'll say it's my fault. And that's what I can say so far in all the films that I've done, that if you don't like it, it's entirely my fault.
Does it follow that the house has nothing in common with art and is architecture not to be included in the arts? Only a very small part of architecture belongs to art: the tomb and the monument. Everything else that fulfils a function is to be excluded from the domain of art.
As a young man, even if I was going to see a play or a film by myself, I didn't feel like I was alone. There was something that was unfolding up there that brought me into it. And I recognised that. For those two hours, it made me feel like I belonged to something really good.
I could spend my whole life photographing circuses. They combine everything I'm interested in - they're ironic, poetic, and corny at the same time. There's also something about a circus that's magical, sentimental, and almost tragic, like a Fellini film.
The respect for a musical score must come from the director... If the director has no power and has to surrender to budgetary constraints, this is where we have the problem.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.