A writer should be invisible: agree or disagree?
You cannot run, you cannot hide ... the fame monster is
under your bed. Once you've, or somebody else for that matter, published that
first story, your name is out there for the audience to see. Even if you're
long gone, dead and buried, your works will be wrested and displayed in front
of the eyes of frenzied readers and the predatory paparazzi. Your writings will
sit upon the shelves in the libraries and schools for educational purposes (if
they're that good that is). If it's possible to contact the supernatural, ask
Emily Dickinson about what she thinks of her poems being displayed to the
public.
'Whoever has read one must have the other, and the world
will not rest satisfied till every scrap of her writings, letters as well as
literature, has been published.' Buckingham, W.J. (1989: 295) Emily Dickinson's
Reception in the 1890s: A Documentary History. U.S.A. University of Pittsburgh
Press.
Be honest with me, if you had a dying loved one who told you
about his/her works but did not want you to publish them, would you respect the
request, or succumb to the greed, the fame ... the fact that yours and your
loved one's surname are in the history books? The point I'm making is that a
writer should be invisible if he/she chooses to do so - they should not be
forced into the limelight. If you think you can handle the fame monster, then
get out there and meet your audience.
I neither agree nor disagree with the question.
I agree that a writer shouldn't be forced into the limelight if he/she doesn't wish to but don't you think it is often unavoidable. They are a secluded species but its that mystery that people are dying to know about.
ReplyDeleteYou make a really good point here and I like the down to earth honesty of your writing. I also like the image of the fame-monster and it makes you question whether it's a good thing to be published or not.
ReplyDeleteThe fame monster is a nice touch. I also like the fact that you have no overriding opinion, one way or the other. And that bit about asking Emily Dickenson.
ReplyDeleteI like the fact you think the writer should have a choice and also portray the downside of being published and getting your name out there, this definitely establishes your opinion clearly.
ReplyDeleteI like the fact that you technically argue both sides. And you also make a distinction between the desire to be known and the desire for your work to be known. Good post.
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