Without meaning to disparage the great work some book reviewers do, I came across a passage in Hemingway’s Green Hills of Africa about how critics undermine writers (“If they believe the critics when they say they are great then they must believe them when they say they are rotten”), which made me curious what I might find from other prominent authors on the subject.
The quote I most enjoyed in this process comes from J.R.R. Tolkien, writing in the preface to The Lord of the Rings:
“Some who have read the book, or at any rate have reviewed it, have found it boring, absurd, or contemptible; and I have no cause to complain, since I have similar opinions of their works, or of the kinds of writing that they evidently prefer.”
Two others from John Updike:
“Our brains are no longer conditioned for reverence and awe. We cannot imagine a Second Coming that would not be cut down to size by the televised evening news, or a Last Judgment not subject to pages of holier-than-thou second-guessing in The New York Review of Books.”
and
“Writing criticism is to writing fiction and poetry as hugging the shore is to sailing the open sea.”
And just a few choice bits from elsewhere:
“Writing prejudicial, off-putting reviews is a precise exercise in applied black magic. The reviewer can draw free-floating disagreeable associations to a book by implying that the book is completely unimportant without saying exactly why, and carefully avoiding any clear images that could capture the reader’s full attention.” – William Burroughs
“Most critical writing is drivel and half of it is dishonest.” – Raymond Chandler
“The artist doesn’t have time to listen to the critics. The ones who want to be writers read the reviews, the ones who want to write don’t have time to read the reviews.” – William Faulkner
“A bad review is even less important than whether it is raining in Patagonia.” – Iris Murdoch
And last but not least, from Edith Wharton:
“After all, one knows one’s weak points so well that it’s rather bewildering to to have the critics overlook them and invent others.”
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As writers we often seek validation, but depending where we look, it’s not always what we find, is it?
Thanks for sharing all these words of wisdom! I think Edith Wharton’s is my favorite.
Amy Sue Nathan recently posted..Books In The Drawer: Go Back Or Let Go? by Author Randy Susan Meyers
Writers should see criticisms as constructive ones. Although not all critics are good to hear but why should writers be blinded by only the good stuff?
Meg recently posted..how to pick up women
Most of those are excellent quotes. Interestingly, though, I find Edith Wharton’s off-putting. While we like to think we know our own weaknesses best, I think there are times that others’ observations can teach us otherwise. Sometimes, we don’t realize an area that could use some work. And sometimes, things we don’t like about ourselves are the very things others love about us.
Still, I enjoyed most of these quotes. I use others’ reviews to help me decide when I’m on the fence about a book. Often, though, seeing many reviews keeps a book in my head and makes me more likely to read it because of that – whether the word has been mostly positive or not. LOL
Heather (ham1299) recently posted..Review: The Pledge
We as writers tend to develop funnel vision and neglect constructive criticism.
Good post – a very timely reminder for me. Thanks Meg!
- Howie Choo
Howie Choo recently posted..female psychology
That Edith Wharton quote is amazing! I love it.
Julia’s Child / Sarah recently posted..Dear Dentist: What’s in those Sealants?