‘Six years is a considerable time in human life, and if it be true that the witty remarks one makes at a dinner party seem peculiarly foolish the next morning, how much more does the enthusiasm of 1930 appear foolish in 1936.’ – Eric Gill, An Essay on Typography
What is it about the writing of Jane Austen, of Dorothy Parker, and Charlotte Bronte, that still keeps them relevant to this day? And what of Tolstoy, Hemmingway and Melville? What is it about these people that still draws us to their work, long after they’re gone?
It’s difficult enough to write a book to begin with, but to write one that will stay relevant and not painfully obsolete a decade later just seems monumental. I can’t really think of any current author that comes even close to those heavyweights above.
Auster?
Eco?
Rushdie?
Maybe.
Possibly.
Sigh. I’m throwing my script out and starting over. Again.
