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Ishmael Reed Quotes

Poet

Ishmael Reed is an American poet, novelist, and playwright. Known for his unique literary style and profound exploration of racial, class, and gender issues, Reed was born on February 22, 1938.

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Famous Ishmael Reed Quotes

“If the British prose style is Churchillian, America is the tobacco auctioneer, the barker; Runyon, Lardner, W.W., the traveling salesman who can sell the world the Brooklyn Bridge every day, can put anything over on you and convince you that tomatoes grow at the South Pole.”

Ifs World America Literature Grows Style Sells South British Bridges Prose Convince Tobacco Brooklyn Salesman Tomatoes American Literature Brooklyn Bridge

Book:Mumbo Jumbo: A Novel

Source: Mumbo Jumbo: A Novel

“I was challenged to a fistfight by Margo Jefferson, the Pulitzer Prize winner, New York Times writer, who is part of a feminist clique at the Times, which believes that Black men are the principal threat to the women of the world.”

Men World Believe Black New York Threat Feminist Winner Prize Principal New York Times Clique

Author:Ishmael Reed

“Phillip Roth uses his Black women characters to make anti intellectual remarks about Black history month, begun by a man who reached intellectual heights that Roth will never attain. Roth is a petty bigot and his ignorant remarks about black culture expose him as a buffoon to scholars the world over.”

Men World Character Use Culture Black Months Intellectual Ignorant Height Scholar Black Women Petty Remarks Black History Bigots Black History Month Buffoons Black Culture

Author:Ishmael Reed

“Whites have been the most subsidized group in the history of the United States and maybe the history of the world, while Blacks were enslaved and were the assets of Whites.”

World Has Beens States United United States Groups Assets World History

Author:Ishmael Reed

“I have T.V. on all the time when I'm writing. I have music on. I'm engaged with the world.”

World Writing Engaged

Author:Ishmael Reed

“I think there are fundamentalists all over the world. I think all religions have fundamentalists who have different interpretations of scriptures that are very vague.”

Thinking World Different Scripture Having Fun Interpretation Vague Different Interpretations

Author:Ishmael Reed

“Unfortunately, in the world today, we have dogmatic people entering into politics. I don't think the two mix.”

People Thinking World Two Today Entering World Today Dogmatic

Author:Ishmael Reed

“The descendants of Holy Roman Empire monarchies became feeble-minded in the twentieth century, and after World War I had been done in by the democracies; some were kept on to entertain the tourists, like the one they have in England.”

World War Done Democracy Century Holy England War Of The Worlds Empires World War I Twentieth Century Monarchy Tourists Roman Empire Descendants

Book:Airing Dirty Laundry

Source: Airing Dirty Laundry

About the Author

Born: February 22, 1938
Known for: Poet
Quotes: 88

Books & Sources

Airing Dirty LaundryRelated source material

Writin' is fightin': thirty-seven years of boxing on paperRelated source material

God made Alaska for the Indians: selected essaysRelated source material

Mumbo Jumbo: A NovelRelated source material

Shrovetide in old New OrleansRelated source material

Mumbo JumboRelated source material

New and collected poemsRelated source material

Yellow Back Radio Broke-DownRelated source material

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