Why do they avoid the limelight?
"Smug, sensitive, too cool. . . " the paper wonders. ". . . arrogance, sensitivity, or a noble dissent -- a high-minded refusal to engage with America's culture of celebrity, erosion of privacy and self-promotion. . . ."
Book editor Arthur Salm provides wisdom:
"Reclusive writers are living perfectly reasonable lives," he said. "The fact that they're reclusive isn't the phenomenon: The phenomenon is our reaction to the fact that they're living normal lives. "
2 comments:
I agree with Mr Salm. Personally, if any of my work enjoys commercial success, I'll stay the same way - living among family and the handfull of close friends I have. Creativity is a tenuous thing, and I can think of no better way of squashing it than to subject myself to the whims of Hollywood, the mass media or too many people.
Thank you--very well said.
Since writing this entry in September, I've been reading Norman Mailer's The Spooky Art, about writing, and he has a lot to say about the celebrity and public persona of authors.
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