--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't like to read contemporary fiction…" description: "\"I don't like to read contemporary fiction while writing - I need a sense of isolation, a kind of silence, and I don't want a jumble of other people's v..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/cynthia-ozick-2945_books_i-don-t-like-to-read-contemporary-fictio_1391489.png" --- # I don't like to read contemporary fiction while writing… ![“I don't like to read contemporary fiction while writing - I need a sense of isolation, a kind of silence, and I don't want a jumble of other people's voices or visions getting in my way. Nineteenth-century voices don't create static in that silence.” quote by Cynthia Ozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/cynthia-ozick-2945_books_i-don-t-like-to-read-contemporary-fictio_1391489.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/cynthia-ozick-2945_books_i-don-t-like-to-read-contemporary-fictio_1391489.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/cynthia-ozick-2945_books_i-don-t-like-to-read-contemporary-fictio_1391489.png) > “I don't like to read contemporary fiction while writing - I need a sense of isolation, a kind of silence, and I don't want a jumble of other people's voices or visions getting in my way. Nineteenth-century voices don't create static in that silence.” [Cynthia Ozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-ozick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She prefers reading older literature to maintain mental clarity while writing, avoiding modern voices that could distract her creative process. **In simple terms:** Older books give her quiet focus. Key Takeaway Choose reading that supports your work. Themes creativity focus literature solitude Mood contemplative introspective Type advice personal When to use this quote - writing sessions - research - creative retreats - personal development Key Concepts cognitive load creative isolation Questions to Reflect On - How does the era of a book affect your writing? - Can you balance contemporary voices with isolation? A Different Perspective Modern works may still inspire if approached mindfully. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Contemporary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemporary/) [Contemporary fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemporary-fiction/) [Create](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/create/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Getting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting/) [Isolation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/isolation/) [Isolation Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/isolation-kind-4850831/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Loneliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loneliness/) [Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need/) [Other](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/other/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read/) [Read Contemporary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-contemporary-1161194/) [Sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense/) [Sense Isolation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-isolation-2011893/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Static](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/static/) [Visions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/visions/) [Voices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voices/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [While](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/while/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Anyway I read more contemporary poetry than contemporary fiction so my mind goes first to a kind of crass "conceptualism" that repeats vanguard gestures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/anyway-i-read-more-contemporary-poetry-than-contemporary-fiction-so/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [While I love to read contemporary fiction, I'm not drawn to writing it. 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They deepen and widen and expand our sense of life: they feed the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/writing-and-reading-decrease-our-sense-of-isolation-they-deepen-and/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“And my inability to share this anger with anybody in the lobby aroused in me a profound sense of isolation." - Toru Okada”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/and-my-inability-to-share-this-anger-with-anybody-in-the-lobby/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“The sense of isolation heightened Fruma's feeling of being alone. It seemed more raw and honest than she was used to; as if hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avalina-kreska/the-sense-of-isolation-heightened-fruma-s-feeling-of-being-alone-it/) [Avalina Kreska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avalina-kreska/) > [Writing and reading decrease our sense of isolation. It's like singing on a boat during a terrible storm at sea. 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Characters in fiction are not simply as alive as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-ozick/i-think-a-fictional-invention-grows-according-to-its-own-development/) [Cynthia Ozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-ozick/) > [I don't agree with the sentiment 'write what you know.'... I think one should write what one doesn't know. The world is bigger and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-ozick/i-don-t-agree-with-the-sentiment-write-what-you-know-i-think-one/) [Cynthia Ozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-ozick/) > [An essay is a thing of the imagination. 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