--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Let me be very clear. For me geography…" description: "\"“Let me be very clear. For me geography does not exist! I strongly object to the whole concept of “foreign literature”...and speaking of national ident..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b52/ant-nio-lobo-antunes-16833_books_let-me-be-very-clear-for-me-geography-do_2843707.jpg" --- # Let me be very clear. For me geography does not exist! I… ![“Let me be very clear. For me geography does not exist! I strongly object to the whole concept of “foreign literature”...and speaking of national identity: that is how dictatorships get started! In literature there is no periphery and no center; there are only writers. The problem is not geographic…” quote by Antonio Lobo Antunes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b52/ant-nio-lobo-antunes-16833_books_let-me-be-very-clear-for-me-geography-do_2843707.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b52/ant-nio-lobo-antunes-16833_books_let-me-be-very-clear-for-me-geography-do_2843707.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b52/ant-nio-lobo-antunes-16833_books_let-me-be-very-clear-for-me-geography-do_2843707.jpg) > ““Let me be very clear. For me geography does not exist! I strongly object to the whole concept of “foreign literature”...and speaking of national identity: that is how dictatorships get started! In literature there is no periphery and no center; there are only writers. The problem is not geographic but rather numeric. In the 19th century there were at least thirty literary geniuses in Russia, Germany, France, England and the United States. Today we are lucky if there are five writers of that caliber in the whole world...Where does one find good literature today? Mostly in third world countries, because adversity, isolation, combat provide good working conditions. It is harder to be a good writer in a so-called “civilized” country, in the so-called “democracies.”” [Antonio Lobo Antunes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ant-nio-lobo-antunes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that geographic boundaries are irrelevant to literary quality; true talent is scarce worldwide, and hardship often fosters better writing than comfortable societies. **In simple terms:** Geography doesn’t determine literary value; hardship can inspire better writing. Key Takeaway Seek diverse voices beyond mainstream markets. Themes literature geography talent hardship culture Mood critical thoughtful Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - publishing - education - reading clubs - literary criticism Key Concepts cultural relativism creative adversity elitism Questions to Reflect On - How do economic and political systems affect literary production? - What can be done to support writers in stable societies? A Different Perspective The claim may overlook systemic barriers that limit access to publishing for many talented writers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Foreign Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreign-literature-1015176/) [Geography Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/geography-does-2015417/) [Good literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-literature/) [Literature Periphery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature-periphery-3742360/) [Literature Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature-today-1246777/) [National identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/national-identity/) [Third world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/third-world/) [Whole world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole-world/) [Working conditions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-conditions/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Geography does not define you - love does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/geography-does-not-define-you-love-does/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [Israel has a security concern involving geography. 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Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Let me be very clear. For me geography does not exist! I strongly object to the whole concept of “foreign literature”...and speaking of national identity: that is how dictatorships get started! In literature there is no periphery and no center; there are only writers. The problem is not geographic but rather numeric. In the 19th century there were at least thirty literary geniuses in Russia, Germany, France, England and the United States. Today we are lucky if there are five writers of that caliber in the whole world...Where does one find good literature today? Mostly in third world countries, because adversity, isolation, combat provide good working conditions. 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