Episode 20: Saul Bellow (Audio Version)
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Episode 20 Description:
While Yaddo artists have amassed a remarkable sixty-three Pulitzer Prizes and fifty-eight National Book Awards, only Saul Bellow (1915-2005) has been awarded the Nobel Prize for literature. The youngest son of Russian parents, Bellow was born in a slum in Lachine, Quebec. Through hard work, he eventually overcame numerous socio-economic, health, and citizenship challenges to become the definitive literary voice of mid-America: "Someone once called me a bureaucrat among writers," Bellow stated, "because my self-discipline seemed excessive." Viewed in this episode through the eyes of fellow Yaddo guest John Cheever, Bellow is seen as a man whose work ethic and success created a certain anxiety among writers, despite his warm and amiable nature. This portrait provides rare insights into the psychology of living and working in an artists' retreat. More importantly, such an appraisal of Bellow's standing as a writer allows us to assess how great reputation can be a temporary impediment, but also a long-term inspiration, to all creative talents.
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Posted at 11:14PM Oct 19, 2008
by rich in General |
