Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Declan Kiberd

Quote by Declan Kiberd

“Our national poet WB Yeats said that every Irish writer had a decision to take: whether to express Ireland or exploit it. In his day, the choice lay between expressing the nation to itself or exploiting it for the amused condescension of a mainly overseas audience. Holding a mirror up to the people was a risky business: many, seeing an unflattering image, were inclined to smash the glass in anger.”

Quote by Declan Kiberd

Create image

Author

Declan Kiberd

Browse famous quotes and profile details for Declan Kiberd. more

You May Also Like

“In our modern world, this elemental quality of storytelling is denied. We live today in a world in which everything has its place and function and nothing is left out of place. Storytelling is thus at a discount and like everything else in a world ruled by the laws of exchange value, literature is required to submit itself to the requirements of the market and must learn, like any other commodity, to adapt and serve needs that lie outside of itself and its concrete value. It is forced to stand not for itself but for an ideological cause of one sort or another, whether it be political, social or literary. It cannot exist for itself: like everything else it has to be justified. And for this very reason the power of storytelling is automatically devalued. Literature is reduced to the status of complimentary utilitarian functions: as a pastime to provide distraction and entertainment, or as a heightened activity that would claim to explore 'great truths' about the human condition.”

WritingArtStoriesLiteratureEntertainmentWritersCommoditySurrealism
Book:Dedalus Book of Surrealism 2: The Myth of the World
Create image

“Kalen (admin): What were you doing when the string appeared? Theodore: Platonic bonding. Mikel (admin): Isobel? The messages stopped there, and she swallowed, typing out a hesitant reply. Isobel: I’m not sure how much detail I’m supposed to go into. Kalen (admin): Jesus Christ. Did any of you follow the goddamned rules? Isobel: What rules? Oscar: Not a chance. Moses: No. Kilian: Yes.”

RulesTeenagersLolHornyNoYesChatOf CourseNot A Chance
Book:Sauter
Create image

“Levine said. "And that was so much more cynical than how I would have described farming. You're just like, well, I'm in the Ponzi business and it's pretty good." Bankman-Fried said that was a reasonable response. "I think there's like a sort of depressing amount of validity...”

Ponzi SchemeSam Bankman FriedMatt Levine
Book:Weidenfeld Nicolson Number Go Up Inside Cryptos Wild Rise and Staggering Fall.
Create image