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Quote by Alexander Weinstein

“I'll take a [Pavel] Chekhov comparison any day! He's of course one of the great masters at the short story form, and has helped define traditional conflict as we understand it.”

Quote by Alexander Weinstein

Author

Alexander Weinstein

Alexander Weinstein was a prominent figure in the field of [Occupation/Category]. Born on January 21, 1897, and passed away on November 6, 1979, he made significant contributions to his field. more

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“It's true, I do love the semi-epiphany. For example, in "Fall Line," the character's final decision is less epiphany than imbecility. He makes a choice, which the conflict hangs upon - whether to seek fame or actually change his life - and so, his decision is tied to the central conflict and his own hubris.”

Character Choices Fall Lines Decision Example Fame Conflict Finals Tied Epiphany Hubris Imbecility

Author:Alexander Weinstein

“While my stories are experimental, they're also very traditional. I love the works of the great Russian writers like [Pavel] Chekhov and [Lev] Tolstoy, and their ability to portray our human struggles and joys.”

Humans Stories Joy Ability Struggle Traditional Chekhov Lev Tolstoy

Author:Alexander Weinstein

“I love the Russian absurdists - [Nikolai] Gogol,[Daniil] Kharms, and [Vladimir] Bulgakov. Even within the Russian experimentalists, there's a lineage of traditional narrative, conflict, and character development, which I find vital to my storytelling.”

Character Development Conflict Storytelling Traditional Narrative Character Development Lineage Gogol

Author:Alexander Weinstein

“I really admire the experimentalists who challenge traditional narrative - writers like Ishmael Reed, Michael Martone, Donald Barthelme, Tatyana Tolstaya, George Saunders, and many others.”

Challenges Admire Traditional Narrative Reeds Ishmael

Author:Alexander Weinstein

“I may, and I think I represent a tradition that means a lot to me, which has really always been about fighting for others, for middle-class families, for working class - for working people, you know, and that's a tradition and a commitment that I take very seriously.”

People Thinking Knows May Mean Fighting Class Middle Commitment Tradition Middle Class Working Class Middle Class Family

Author:Caroline Kennedy

“David Foster Wallace was a brilliant experimentalist who I deeply admire. His ability to do formalism helped me understand how to tackle stories like "Dictionary" and "Failed Revolution." "Dictionary," in particular, functions against narrative in many ways - each of the definitions are their own mini-story or prose poem, and the collection of them adds up to create a different effect than the traditional Freytagian Pyramid story.”

Way Different Stories Ability Effects Particular Revolution Function Add Definitions Brilliant Admire Traditional Narrative Prose Collections Dictionary Pyramids

Author:Alexander Weinstein

“Wit and humor seem to always factor into this - there's a tongue-in-cheek tone you get when you take on a formalist story - because there's an inherent voice you're trying to copy (and often to satirize).”

Trying Stories Seems Voice Tongue Wit Factors Tone Copies Cheeks Inherent Tongue In Cheek Wit And Humor

Author:Alexander Weinstein

“That particular story ["The Pyramid and the Ass"] was written during the dark days of the Bush years. George W. Bush had just been "re-elected" (or elected for the first time, depending on how you count the stolen election) and it seemed like the horror of his presidency would last forever.”

Years Firsts Stories Lasts Dark Forever Written Particular Horror First Time Election Ass Presidency Stolen Pyramids Dark Days

Author:Alexander Weinstein

“[George W.] Bush's presidency was one of the great nightmares of my life to date.”

Nightmare Presidency

Author:Alexander Weinstein

“In the story ["The Pyramid and the Ass"] there's this war against the so-called Buddhist Terrorists. As we find out, they're not really terrorists at all, just good folks trying to liberate people from technology and fight against an American government/corporation trying to coopt our souls. The inherent racism and Buddhist-phobia in the story plays into the present demonizing of Islam - and of our loss of knowledge about the great, spiritual history of the Sufis, for example, or the cultural heritage from the middle east.”