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And yet we do it - although the 'have an affair with a millionaire celebrity' road to fame is quite tempting. (Alas I'm a tad too long in the tooth for that)
Good old Javier - tongue in cheek as this obviously is, with negativity and bitterness flowing through every well-turned phrase, he's right, except for one thing. Most of us don't have - or need - any good reasons to write a novel; we do it because we must.
I read it as ironic. At the end he explains why we carry on doing it regardless of the obstacles.
Sounds like someone who can't and therefore must attack those who can.
'Javier Marías, Spain's foremost contemporary novelist, has had his work translated into more than forty languages; his most recent novel is The Infatuations, published in America by Knopf.'
I read it as though he's trying to put people off - too much competition out there. In that sense I agree with him. I think you need to be clear about why you're doing it. If you hope to make a fortune then you will be sadly disappointed.
Because every Tom, Dick and Harry think they can do it, the market is overcrowded by a lot of dross. People do think they can get rich and famous and do think that if they can write sentences they can 'write'.
It's all tongue in cheek and could have been said more succinctly. 'Don't do it for the imagined glory; do it because you must. Anything else is a bonus.'
Comments
*bins quill*
Most of us don't have - or need - any good reasons to write a novel; we do it because we must.
'Javier Marías, Spain's foremost contemporary novelist, has had his work translated into more than forty languages; his most recent novel is The Infatuations, published in America by Knopf.'
He could have said all that in half the space...
Because every Tom, Dick and Harry think they can do it, the market is overcrowded by a lot of dross. People do think they can get rich and famous and do think that if they can write sentences they can 'write'.
But he's Spanish. And famous. I bet he's a real bore at dinner parties.