Life-the way it really is-is a battle not between Bad and Good but between Bad and Worse. Joseph Brodsky More Quotes by Joseph Brodsky More Quotes From Joseph Brodsky An object, after all, is what makes infinity private. Joseph Brodsky objects infinity It's rather an exhilarating feeling. It's 6 or 7 when you get up and go out into the fields wearing your Wellingtons or high boots. You know that at this very hour half the nation does the same thing, which gives you, with the benefit of hindsight, a satisfaction in doing those things, too, a knowledge, a sense of the nation. I was a city boy until then. Joseph Brodsky exhilarating-feeling cities boys Twentieth-century Russian literature has produced nothing special except perhaps one novel and two stories by Andrei Platonov, who ended his days sweeping streets. Joseph Brodsky special stories two Poetry is rather an approach to things, to life, than it is typographical production. Joseph Brodsky productions approach poetry-is Love itself is the most elitist of passions. It acquires its stereoscopic substance and perspective only in the context of culture, for it takes up more place in the mind than it does in bed. Outside of that setting it falls flat into one-dimensional fiction. Joseph Brodsky passion love fall The poetic notion of infinity is far greater than that which is sponsored by any creed. Joseph Brodsky poetic creeds infinity ...boredom speaks the language of time, and it is to teach you the most valuable lesson in your life--...the lesson of your utter insignificance. It is valuable to you, as well as to those you are to rub shoulders with. 'You are finite,' time tells you in a voice of boredom, 'and whatever you do is, from my point of view, futile.' As music to your ears, this, of course, may not count; yet the sense of futility, of limited significance even of your best, most ardent actions is better than the illusion of their consequence and the attendant self-satisfaction. Joseph Brodsky voice self views If they had wanted to punish me, they should have kept me in a communal apartment. Then I would have become a wreck. Joseph Brodsky apartment wrecks should-have What should I say about life? That it's long and abhors transparence. Joseph Brodsky should life long There's nothing as dear as the sight of ruins. Joseph Brodsky dear ruins sight Poems, novels - these things belong to the nation, to the culture and the people. They've been stolen from the people and now the stolen things are being returned to their owners, but I don't think their owners should be grateful to receive them. Joseph Brodsky grateful people thinking This is the generation whose first cry of life was the Hungarian uprising. Joseph Brodsky glowing uprising generations Out of Dostoevsky: Kafka. Out of Tolstoy: Margaret Mitchell. (in conversation, explaining his dislike for Tolstoy) Joseph Brodsky dislike explaining conversation Persecution mania is still around. In your writing, in your exchanges with people, meeting people who are in Russian affairs, Russian literature, etcetera. Joseph Brodsky etcetera writing people Try not to pay attention to those who will try to make life miserable for you. There will be a lot of those-in the official capacity as well as the self-appointed. Suffer them if you can't escape them, but once you have steered clear of them, give them the shortest shrift possible. Above all, try to avoid telling stories about the unjust treatment you received at their hands; avoid it no matter how receptive your audience may be. Tales of this sort extend the existence of your antagonists. Joseph Brodsky self giving hands For boredom speaks the language of time, and it is to teach you the most valuable lesson of your life - the lesson of your utter insignificance. Joseph Brodsky life-lesson boredom blessing If one's fated to be born in Caesar's Empire, let him live aloof, provincial, by the seashore. Joseph Brodsky seashore empires born In Russia, the moment a person opens his mouth you know where he's from. There's the uniformity of experience of an individual in Russia. When you're about 7 years old you get into school and you get put in this factory or this bureaucracy or whatever. The options are computable. Here it's tremendously diverse. Joseph Brodsky russia years school I didn't want to be either the cre`me de la cre`me or a martyr. I'd rather be a novelty, especially in a democracy that doesn't understand the language I write in. Joseph Brodsky democracy want writing In general, in America, every discourse in literature in 15 minutes degenerates into a conversation about ethics, morality and this and that. The Holocaust and the consequences of it. Well, I find it terribly boring, predictable and unimportant, because what matters about literature is esthetic achievement. Joseph Brodsky achievement what-matters america
