A Writer's Moment: 'Falling into the right hands'

A Writer's Moment: 'Falling into the right hands':   “A novel is balanced between a few true impressions and the multitude of false ones that make up most of what we call life. With a novelis...

'Falling into the right hands'

 

“A novel is balanced between a few true impressions and the multitude of false ones that make up most of what we call life. With a novelist, like a surgeon, you have to get a feeling that you've fallen into good hands - someone from whom you can accept the anesthetic with confidence.” – Saul Bellow

 

Born in Canada on June 10, 1915 Bellow became a naturalized U.S. citizen after attending the University of Chicago and Northwestern University where he studied writing and English and earned degrees in sociology and anthropology.  The fact that he was an anthropologist probably is not a surprise for his readers who find anthropological references sprinkled throughout his many award-winning books.  

  

He may be best known for his Adventures of Augie March, often labeled “The 20^th Century Don Quixote.”   Bellow won every major writing award, including the Nobel Prize and is the only writer to win the National Book Award for Fiction 3 times.  He also was honored with the Lifetime Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, the National Medal of Arts, and 2 Pulitzer Prizes.

  

"The backbone of 20th-century American literature has been provided by two novelists—William Faulkner and Saul Bellow,” noted novelist Philip Roth.  “Together they are the Melville, Hawthorne, and Twain of the 20th century." 

Well-liked for his wry sense of humor, he once noted “You know, you never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write down.” 

A Writer's Moment: A champion for social justice and human rights

A Writer's Moment: A champion for social justice and human rights:   “I've always loved writing, and the impulse for me is storytelling. I don't sit down and think: 'What political message can I ...

A champion for social justice and human rights

 

“I've always loved writing, and the impulse for me is storytelling. I don't sit down and think: 'What political message can I sell?' I love the creativity of it.” – Randa Abdel-Fattah

 

Born in Sydney, Australia in June of 1979, Abdel-Fattah is of Palestinian-Egyptian heritage, bringing an interesting cultural mix to her writing.  She had her first short story published at age 11, wrote numerous short stories as a teenager, and completed the first draft of her debut novel Does My Head Look Big in This? at age 18.   The story about life choices, bias and abiding friendships, the book also spawned a play and both versions were winner of numerous awards.

 

In addition to her writing, Abdel-Fattah is an attorney and champion for social justice and human rights issues.  A frequent speaker and regular broadcast commentator on those topics, she has continued to produce short stories and essays and (to date) a dozen books.  Her most recent is 2025’s Discipline.

 

Abdel-Fattah's writing also touches on celebratory events from all cultures and religions. 

 

“Religious celebrations,” she said, “and the good will, high spirits and generosity that mark them, are wonderful occasions for understanding the potential of 'everyday multiculturalism,’ and how people from diverse faiths can connect and show they care, rather than go down parallel, sometimes hostile, roads.”

A Writer's Moment: 'The task of a writer'

A Writer's Moment: 'The task of a writer':   “The task of a writer consists of being able to make something out of an idea.”  – Thomas Mann   Born in Lubeck, Germany on June 6, 18...

'The task of a writer'

 

“The task of a writer consists of being able to make something out of an idea.” – Thomas Mann

 

Born in Lubeck, Germany on June 6, 1875 Mann was a journalist, novelist, short story writer, philanthropist and essayist who started writing in the mid-1890s while living in Munich.   Winner of the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature, he was one of the most outspoken critics of Adolph Hitler, ultimately having to flee to Czechoslovakia and then the United States where he became a naturalized American citizen and lived until shortly before his death in 1955.

 

His successful creative writing career, which began with his novel Buddonbrooks – about a merchant family and reflective of his own childhood roots – was marked primarily by his short stories, which were popular throughout his lifetime and continue to be studied in writing classes today. 

 

"In books we never find anything but ourselves,” Mann said.  “Strangely enough, that always gives us great pleasure, and (yet) we say the author is a genius."

A Writer's Moment: 'It's in the heart of me'

A Writer's Moment: 'It's in the heart of me':   "The three foundations of judgement: Bold Design, Constant Practice, and Frequent Mistakes." –   John Masefield   Born in Ledbur...