Howard Barker Professions : PlaywrightBorn : June 28, 1946 Browse All Authors Quotes From Howard Barker I never 'say' anything in my work. I invent a world. Let others decide what is being 'said'. Howard Barker say-anythingsaidworld We are suffocated by writers who want to enlighten us with their truths. For me, the theatre is beautiful because it is a secret, and secrets seduce us, we all want to share secrets. Howard Barker theatresecretbeautiful Tragedy is the greatest art form of all. It gives us the courage to continue with our life by exposing us to the pain of life. It is unsentimental, it takes us seriously as human beings, it is not condescending. Paradoxically, by seeing pain we are made greater, it becomes a need. Howard Barker paingivingart Theatre should be a taxing experience: the greatest achievement of a writer is to produce a character who creates anxiety. Howard Barker anxietyachievementcharacter I don't like sympathetic characters. Howard Barker sympatheticcharacter I'm not interested in observed reality. Howard Barker not-interestedreality I submit all my plays to the National Theatre for rejection. To assure myself I am seeing clearly. Howard Barker rejectiontheatreplay When I write, I am not giving a lecture, I am speculating on behavior. Sometimes this is dangerous, but it should be. As I say often, theatre is a dark place and we should keep the light out of it. Howard Barker lightdarkwriting The artist who makes himself accessible is self-destructive. Howard Barker self-destructiveartistself I have plenty of political views and plenty of social and personal prejudices. I do not, however, value them. Howard Barker prejudicepoliticalviews I'm not interested in entertainment. Howard Barker not-interestedentertainment A good play puts the audience through a certain ordeal. Howard Barker ordealscertainplay You emerge from tragedy equipped against lies. After the musical, you're anybody's fool Howard Barker musicaltragedylying I am so far as I am aware not at all influenced by dramatists, expect for Shakespeare, who I have to say, it is impossible not to be influenced by if you hold language to be the major element of theatre. Howard Barker elementstheatreimpossible It is impossible - now, at this point in the long journey of human culture - to avoid the sense that pain is necessity; that it is neither accident, nor malformation, nor malice, nor misunderstanding, that it is integral to the human character both in its inflicting and in its suffering, this terrible sense Tragedy alone has articulated, and will continue to articulate, and in so doing, make beautiful... Howard Barker painbeautifulcharacter I believe in poetic discourse, in the value of speech in a non-naturalistic way; it's speculative. Howard Barker speechbelieveway I’ve often taken important classical, biblical or literary stories and interrogated them. I have tried to reinvigorate Lot by interpreting it differently. Howard Barker biblicalimportanttaken Similar Authors Alan Ayckbourn playwright Bonnie Greer playwright Annie Baker playwright August Wilson playwright August Strindberg playwright Athol Fugard playwrightAll Authors
