In apartments and cottages, on the street and in the train... I listen... More and more, I turn into one large ear, always turning to another person.
Svetlana AlexievichRead
There is this tradition, stretching back to Tacitus and Plutarch, that history belongs to the heroes, the emperors. But I grew up among simple people, and their stories just shattered me. It was painful that no one but me was listening to them.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the importance of the stories of ordinary people, contrasting them with historical narratives dominated by heroes and emperors.
Svetlana Alexievich reflects on the often overlooked narratives of everyday individuals in history, emphasizing that while traditional history focuses on great leaders and heroes, it is the stories of common people that reveal deeper human experiences and emotions. Her upbringing among these 'simple people' opened her eyes to their struggles and resilience, making her acutely aware of the pain that comes from their stories being unheard and unrecognized.
Themes
HistoryStoriesOrdinary PeopleEmpathyNarrative
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion on historical narratives at a literature conference.
More from Svetlana Alexievich
All quotes →The subjects I wanted to write about - the mystery of the human soul, evil - didn't interest newspapers, and news reporting bored me.
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'Women's' war has its own colors, its own smells, its own lighting, and its own range of feelings. There are no heroes and incredible feats; there are simply people who are busy doing inhumanly human things.
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There is no need to give in to the compromise that totalitarian regimes always count on.
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I've been searching for a genre that would be most adequate to my vision of the world to convey how my ear hears and my eyes see life. I tried this and that, and finally, I chose a genre where human voices speak for themselves. But I don't just record a dry history of events and facts; I'm writing a history of human feelings.
Svetlana AlexievichRead
From the point of view of art, the butcher and the victim are equal as people. You need to see the people.
Svetlana AlexievichRead
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