--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am not writing in metaphors. I am…" description: "\"I am not writing in metaphors. I am writing about catastrophes.\" — Aharon Appelfeld" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d30/aharon-appelfeld-36561_catastrophe_i-am-not-writing-in-metaphors-i-am-writi_3179482.png" --- # I am not writing in metaphors. I am writing about… ![“I am not writing in metaphors. I am writing about catastrophes.” quote by Aharon Appelfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d30/aharon-appelfeld-36561_catastrophe_i-am-not-writing-in-metaphors-i-am-writi_3179482.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d30/aharon-appelfeld-36561_catastrophe_i-am-not-writing-in-metaphors-i-am-writi_3179482.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d30/aharon-appelfeld-36561_catastrophe_i-am-not-writing-in-metaphors-i-am-writi_3179482.png) > “I am not writing in metaphors. I am writing about catastrophes.” [Aharon Appelfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aharon-appelfeld/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author chooses stark, literal language to confront overwhelming disaster directly, avoiding poetic distance. **In simple terms:** Write plainly about disaster. Key Takeaway Use direct truth to convey impact. Themes truth disaster literature Mood somber serious Type literary reflective When to use this quote - war reporting - personal memoir - teaching history Key Concepts realism trauma historical memory Questions to Reflect On - How does literal language affect empathy? - Can starkness convey truth better than metaphor? A Different Perspective May alienate readers seeking aesthetic comfort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Catastrophe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catastrophe/) [Catastrophes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catastrophes/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Metaphor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor/) [Metaphors Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphors-writing-4148487/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Catastrophes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-catastrophes-5819988/) [Writing Metaphors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-metaphors-1435816/) ## Related quotes > [Metaphors are not user-friendly. They're difficult to find and difficult to use well. Unfortunately, metaphors are a mainstay of good lyric writing-indeed of most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-pattison/metaphors-are-not-user-friendly-they-re-difficult-to-find-and/) [Pat Pattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-pattison/) > [I think dreams are metaphors. Everything you do in writing is metaphorical. So it seems like the same arena to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/i-think-dreams-are-metaphors-everything-you-do-in-writing-is/) [Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) > [We worry about the seemingly ever-increasing number of natural catastrophes. Yet this is mainly a consequence of CNN - we see many more, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjorn-lomborg/we-worry-about-the-seemingly-ever-increasing-number-of-natural/) [Bjorn Lomborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjorn-lomborg/) > [Plant diseases, drought, desolation, despair were recurrent catastrophes during the ages - and the ancient remedies: supplications to supernatural spirits or gods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-borlaug/plant-diseases-drought-desolation-despair-were-recurrent-catastrophes/) [Norman Borlaug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-borlaug/) > [We always seem to be surprised by events, especially by catastrophes, but also by wonderful events. Look at 1990, the year that the Soviet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/we-always-seem-to-be-surprised-by-events-especially-by-catastrophes/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [Either God can do nothing to stop catastrophes like this, or he doesn't care to, or he doesn't exist. God is either impotent, evil,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/either-god-can-do-nothing-to-stop-catastrophes-like-this-or-he-doesn/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [I think psychology and self-reflection is one of the major catastrophes of the twentieth century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-think-psychology-and-self-reflection-is-one-of-the-major/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [Unless we are willing to escape into sentimentality or fantasy, often the best we can do with catastrophes, even our own, is to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/unless-we-are-willing-to-escape-into-sentimentality-or-fantasy-often/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [War is a series of catastrophes which result in victory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-pike/war-is-a-series-of-catastrophes-which-result-in-victory/) [Albert Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-pike/) > [The worst thing that will probably happen-in fact is already well underway-is not energy depletion, economic collapse, conventional war, or the expansion of totalitarian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-worst-thing-that-will-probably-happen-in-fact-is-already-well/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [Probably most catastrophes end this way without an ending, the dead not even knowing how they died...,those who loved them forever questioning "this unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/probably-most-catastrophes-end-this-way-without-an-ending-the-dead/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [Catastrophes come when some dominant institution, swollen like a soap-bubble and still standing without foundations, suddenly crumbles at the touch of what may seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/catastrophes-come-when-some-dominant-institution-swollen-like-a-soap/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [One of the strangest catastrophes that is in any history. A great king, with strong armies and mighty fleets, a great treasure and powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-burnet/one-of-the-strangest-catastrophes-that-is-in-any-history-a-great-king/) [Gilbert Burnet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-burnet/) > [“But I guess it never is what you worry over that comes to pass in the end. The real catastrophes are always different -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/but-i-guess-it-never-is-what-you-worry-over-that-comes-to-pass-in-the/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [The biggest catastrophes that we've witnessed rarely come from information that is secret or hidden. It comes from information that is freely available and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/the-biggest-catastrophes-that-we-ve-witnessed-rarely-come-from/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) ## More by Aharon Appelfeld > [I see myself as a man who is searching for meaning in life. This is rather different from being a staunch believer in something.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aharon-appelfeld/i-see-myself-as-a-man-who-is-searching-for-meaning-in-life-this-is/) [Aharon Appelfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aharon-appelfeld/) > [I had a feeling that my generation-and me, also-we were naked. We did not belong to anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aharon-appelfeld/i-had-a-feeling-that-my-generation-and-me-also-we-were-naked-we-did/) [Aharon Appelfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aharon-appelfeld/) > [“Since they were unable to liberate themselves from the old words and the fear, they prowled the streets and cast their angry shadows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aharon-appelfeld/since-they-were-unable-to-liberate-themselves-from-the-old-words-and/) [Aharon Appelfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aharon-appelfeld/) > [A story is not only meaning, it's music as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aharon-appelfeld/a-story-is-not-only-meaning-it-s-music-as-well/) [Aharon Appelfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aharon-appelfeld/) > [The Holocaust is a central event in many people's lives, but it also has become a metaphor for our century. There cannot be an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aharon-appelfeld/the-holocaust-is-a-central-event-in-many-people-s-lives-but-it-also/) [Aharon Appelfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aharon-appelfeld/) > [People who lose their parents when young are permanently in love with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aharon-appelfeld/people-who-lose-their-parents-when-young-are-permanently-in-love-with/) [Aharon Appelfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aharon-appelfeld/) > [My nights are a nightmare, quite often, but the nightmares are rich. I nourish myself by those nights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aharon-appelfeld/my-nights-are-a-nightmare-quite-often-but-the-nightmares-are-rich-i/) [Aharon Appelfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aharon-appelfeld/) > [Can art be completely invented? It's a matter of shaping reality with the help of imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aharon-appelfeld/can-art-be-completely-invented-it-s-a-matter-of-shaping-reality-with/) [Aharon Appelfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aharon-appelfeld/) > [The writer in western civilization has become not a voice of his tribe, but of his individuality. This is a very narrow-minded situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aharon-appelfeld/the-writer-in-western-civilization-has-become-not-a-voice-of-his/) [Aharon Appelfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aharon-appelfeld/) > [A person has to be by himself a little bit. We weren’t born in a flock. Togetherness drives me out of my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aharon-appelfeld/a-person-has-to-be-by-himself-a-little-bit-we-weren-t-born-in-a-flock/) [Aharon Appelfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aharon-appelfeld/) [Explore all 11 Aharon Appelfeld quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aharon-appelfeld/) ## More Catastrophe quotes > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [I was asked the other day if I would be interested in the Nobel Prize, but I think that for me it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/i-was-asked-the-other-day-if-i-would-be-interested-in-the-nobel-prize/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“..the sense of a catastrophe perpetually invoked and avoided creates a rapture in whose depths horror and pleasure coincide...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-leiris/the-sense-of-a-catastrophe-perpetually-invoked-and-avoided-creates-a/) [Michel Leiris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-leiris/) > [To you, the people of Flint, I say, as I have before, I am sorry and I will fix it. No citizen of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-snyder/to-you-the-people-of-flint-i-say-as-i-have-before-i-am-sorry-and-i/) [Rick Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-snyder/) > [Dark influences from the American past congregate among us still. If we are a democracy, what are we to make of the palpable elements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/dark-influences-from-the-american-past-congregate-among-us-still-if/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [It's the hardest thing on earth to like yourself, and then when you do, it's a catastrophe. I mean, the people I know who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/it-s-the-hardest-thing-on-earth-to-like-yourself-and-then-when-you-do/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > [We are upsetting the atmosphere upon which all life depends. In the late 80s when I began to take climate change seriously, we referred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/we-are-upsetting-the-atmosphere-upon-which-all-life-depends-in-the/) [David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/) > [“War is catastrophe. It breaks families in irretrievable pieces. But those who are gone are not necessarily lost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruta-sepetys/war-is-catastrophe-it-breaks-families-in-irretrievable-pieces-but/) [Ruta Sepetys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruta-sepetys/) > [The biggest catastrophes that we've witnessed rarely come from information that is secret or hidden. It comes from information that is freely available and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/the-biggest-catastrophes-that-we-ve-witnessed-rarely-come-from/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) > [All the parties of capitalist society, all its moralists and all its sycophants will perish beneath the debris of the impending catastrophe. The only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/all-the-parties-of-capitalist-society-all-its-moralists-and-all-its/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) > [When the regime changed in Japan, the Japanese changed; Russians too can change, as long as the conditions for it are present once again.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-voinovich/when-the-regime-changed-in-japan-the-japanese-changed-russians-too/) [Vladimir Voinovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-voinovich/) > [And in the racial climate of this country today, it is anybody's guess which of the 'extremes' in approach to the black man's problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/and-in-the-racial-climate-of-this-country-today-it-is-anybody-s-guess/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [“But I guess it never is what you worry over that comes to pass in the end. The real catastrophes are always different -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/but-i-guess-it-never-is-what-you-worry-over-that-comes-to-pass-in-the/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [“How someone wants to explain catastrophe isn't important--that's what I know now. When shit happens, it doesn't really matter what asshole is responsible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/how-someone-wants-to-explain-catastrophe-isn-t-important-that-s-what/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [The Author of nature has not given laws to the universe, which, like the institutions of men, carry in themselves the elements of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-playfair/the-author-of-nature-has-not-given-laws-to-the-universe-which-like/) [John Playfair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-playfair/) [Browse all 656 Catastrophe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catastrophe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I am not writing in metaphors. 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