The Writer & The Characters He Bases Himself On: A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

An introduction to Françoise Sagan’s Bonjour Tristesse and A Certain Smile by Rachel Cusk highlights one of the foremost problems a writer must contend with in life: an inability for his or her reader to separate author from character, which ultimately becomes a challenge for the author to do as well. Especially when he or she has cultivated a certain “shtick,” if you will–à la Philip … Continue reading The Writer & The Characters He Bases Himself On: A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Does An Artist Need to Be Tragic to Succeed?

An alarming quote from Lana Del Rey in an interview for The Guardian back in June of 2014 found her asserting, “I wish I was dead already.” Alluding to her idols, Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse, Del Rey’s wistfulness over the freedom one can achieve through death poses the question: Does an artist need to be tragic to succeed? Seeming to intuit that, yes, an … Continue reading Does An Artist Need to Be Tragic to Succeed?