--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I want people to read good work. If I see…" description: "\"I want people to read good work. If I see someone reading a book by Lorrie Moore or Jennifer Egan, I'm psyched. If I see them reading X Latin American ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/daniel-alarcon-11254_american-writer_i-want-people-to-read-good-work-if-i-see_208957.jpg" --- # I want people to read good work. If I see someone reading… ![“I want people to read good work. If I see someone reading a book by Lorrie Moore or Jennifer Egan, I'm psyched. If I see them reading X Latin American Writer Who Sucks, I'm not psyched. But in terms of news, I do think that's important.” quote by Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/daniel-alarcon-11254_american-writer_i-want-people-to-read-good-work-if-i-see_208957.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/daniel-alarcon-11254_american-writer_i-want-people-to-read-good-work-if-i-see_208957.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/daniel-alarcon-11254_american-writer_i-want-people-to-read-good-work-if-i-see_208957.jpg) > “I want people to read good work. If I see someone reading a book by Lorrie Moore or Jennifer Egan, I'm psyched. If I see them reading X Latin American Writer Who Sucks, I'm not psyched. But in terms of news, I do think that's important.” [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker values reading high-quality literature and sees it as a sign of cultural literacy, while dismissing lesser works; they also consider news consumption important. **In simple terms:** Good books matter, bad ones don’t; news is still vital. Key Takeaway Prioritize reading acclaimed authors and stay informed. Themes literary taste media consumption cultural literacy Mood thoughtful critical engaged Type opinion commentary reflective When to use this quote - book clubs - college curricula - newsroom discussions - personal reading lists - public speaking Key Concepts canon formation critical standards information hygiene Questions to Reflect On - How do you define literary quality? - What role should news play in a reader’s life? A Different Perspective Personal taste is subjective; what counts as “good” varies across cultures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-writer/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Good work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-work/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Jennifer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jennifer/) [Latin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/latin/) [Latin america](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/latin-america/) [Latin american](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/latin-american/) [News](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/news/) [News Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/news-think-2162393/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-read-239357/) [Psyched Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psyched-reading-2162395/) [Read Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-good-240087/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Reading A Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-a-book/) [Term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/term/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Work Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-reading-2162394/) ## Related quotes > [I do feel fortunate to have some knowledge of the great Latin American writers, including some that are probably not that well known in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/i-do-feel-fortunate-to-have-some-knowledge-of-the-great-latin/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [I think I'm an American writer writing about Latin America, and I'm a Latin American writer who happens to write in English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/i-think-i-m-an-american-writer-writing-about-latin-america-and-i-m-a/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [I'm a writer. In Latin America, they say I'm a Latin-American writer because I also write in Spanish and my books are translated, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/i-m-a-writer-in-latin-america-they-say-i-m-a-latin-american-writer/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [“Nobody knows why another Latin American writer, Mario Llosa Vargas, one day punched Marquez in the face.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nobody-knows-why-another-latin-american-writer-mario-llosa-vargas-one/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The Americans only like things they can label, even if it kills them. Think of those poor Latin American writers. Some of them are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-americans-only-like-things-they-can-label-even-if-it-kills-them/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Jorge Luis Borges had the soapbox and the authority to complain about this myopic understanding of the duty of Latin American writers, which sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-morris/jorge-luis-borges-had-the-soapbox-and-the-authority-to-complain-about/) [Adam Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-morris/) > [Things have changed in Latin America now. We mostly have democratic governments in Latin America, so the position of the writer has changed. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-fuentes/things-have-changed-in-latin-america-now-we-mostly-have-democratic/) [Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/) > [I always read the Latin American writers. I love so many of them: Gabriel García Márquez, José Donoso, Alejo Carpentier, Jorge Luis Borges, Clarice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porochista-khakpour/i-always-read-the-latin-american-writers-i-love-so-many-of-them/) [Porochista Khakpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porochista-khakpour/) > [With My Dog-Eyes by Hilda Hilst got more exposure and reached far more readers than I ever expected. Even my editor at Melville House,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-morris/with-my-dog-eyes-by-hilda-hilst-got-more-exposure-and-reached-far/) [Adam Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-morris/) > [Of course I'm a black writer. I'm not just a black writer, but categories like black writer, woman writer and Latin American writer aren't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/of-course-i-m-a-black-writer-i-m-not-just-a-black-writer-but/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [Jorge Luis Borges was lamenting a variety of Orientalism that was used to measure the alleged authenticity of Argentine and Latin American writers in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-morris/jorge-luis-borges-was-lamenting-a-variety-of-orientalism-that-was/) [Adam Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-morris/) > [Incidentally, I am intrigued by how many European and Latin American writers expressed their political views in the columns they routinely wrote or write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-mishra/incidentally-i-am-intrigued-by-how-many-european-and-latin-american/) [Pankaj Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-mishra/) > [When you think about fascism and right-wing governments, oftentimes people think about European history, but it's been flaring up on and off all throughout…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torrey-peters/when-you-think-about-fascism-and-right-wing-governments-oftentimes/) [Torrey Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torrey-peters/) > [My friend, Dennis Mathis, was reading Eastern European and Japanese experimental writers, and I brought the Latin American writers to his attention, so we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/my-friend-dennis-mathis-was-reading-eastern-european-and-japanese/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [I have been definitely influenced more by Latin American writers than by any other type of writer. They are very close in terms of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-hagedorn/i-have-been-definitely-influenced-more-by-latin-american-writers-than/) [Jessica Hagedorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-hagedorn/) ## More by Daniel Alarcon > [A novel is like an animal you have to hunt down and kill. If you let it sit for two days, it's got a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/a-novel-is-like-an-animal-you-have-to-hunt-down-and-kill-if-you-let/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [I love to walk through the streets of Jesus Maria and Pueblo Libre. The Spanish colonial buildings are in bright colors, two stories high,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/i-love-to-walk-through-the-streets-of-jesus-maria-and-pueblo-libre/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [“They spoke without much fluency about a minor universe of events that affected neither of them: the vagaries of neighborhood life, people they both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/they-spoke-without-much-fluency-about-a-minor-universe-of-events-that/) [Daniel Alarcón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [I guess in my own life I don't really think much about manliness too much. I feel like a lot of men that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/i-guess-in-my-own-life-i-don-t-really-think-much-about-manliness-too/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [“And what does he feel?" "He feels uneasy. A little afaid. Angry. Oddly, a hint of pride." "Good," Henry said. "ANd where are you?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/and-what-does-he-feel-he-feels-uneasy-a-little-afaid-angry-oddly-a/) [Daniel Alarcón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [How emigration is actually lived - well, this depends on many factors: education, economic station, language, where one lands, and what support network is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/how-emigration-is-actually-lived-well-this-depends-on-many-factors/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [Eduardo Halfon is a brilliant storyteller, whose gifts are displayed on every page of this beautiful, daring, and deeply humane book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/eduardo-halfon-is-a-brilliant-storyteller-whose-gifts-are-displayed/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [As a boy, I wanted to be the Peruvian Diego Maradona. Sadly, Peru hasnt made the World Cup since 1982, so I guess I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/as-a-boy-i-wanted-to-be-the-peruvian-diego-maradona-sadly-peru-hasnt/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [Publication in 'The New Yorker' meant everything, and it's no exaggeration to say that it changed my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/publication-in-the-new-yorker-meant-everything-and-it-s-no/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [I have a love/hate relationship with the internet. It's obviously the central tool of how I work, and how I keep in touch with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/i-have-a-love-hate-relationship-with-the-internet-it-s-obviously-the/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [Radio is the medium that most closely approximates the experience of reading. As a novelist, I find it very exciting to be able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/radio-is-the-medium-that-most-closely-approximates-the-experience-of/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [I do feel fortunate to have some knowledge of the great Latin American writers, including some that are probably not that well known in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/i-do-feel-fortunate-to-have-some-knowledge-of-the-great-latin/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [“He admired this too: their ability to preserve joy at any cost, the way prehistoric man might have preserved fire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/he-admired-this-too-their-ability-to-preserve-joy-at-any-cost-the-way/) [Daniel Alarcón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [I think probably the thing I'm worst at is the most ephemeral stuff, like blogs. I find it really hard to write. And I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/i-think-probably-the-thing-i-m-worst-at-is-the-most-ephemeral-stuff/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [I write in English because I was raised in the States and educated in this language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/i-write-in-english-because-i-was-raised-in-the-states-and-educated-in/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) [Explore all 61 Daniel Alarcon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) ## More American writer quotes > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [It's the tradition of American writers getting away in order to see the country - to get a better view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-anderson/it-s-the-tradition-of-american-writers-getting-away-in-order-to-see/) [Laurie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-anderson/) > [American writers, at least those of us who are fortunate enough to support ourselves in the field, are by and large a lucky lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/american-writers-at-least-those-of-us-who-are-fortunate-enough-to/) [Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/) > [“One of the vital things for a writer who’s writing a book, which is a lengthy project and is going to take about a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/one-of-the-vital-things-for-a-writer-who-s-writing-a-book-which-is-a/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [I'm definitely more influenced by European writers than I am by American writers, there's no doubt about that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-m-definitely-more-influenced-by-european-writers-than-i-am-by/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [I have a well-balanced show. It's 50/50 on men/women, and also African-American/white writers, it's the same thing. I have four African-American writers, and four…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wanda-sykes/i-have-a-well-balanced-show-it-s-50-50-on-men-women-and-also-african/) [Wanda Sykes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wanda-sykes/) > [Henry David Thoreau, who never earned much of a living or sustained a relationship with any woman that wasn't brotherly -- who lived mostly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hoagland/henry-david-thoreau-who-never-earned-much-of-a-living-or-sustained-a/) [Edward Hoagland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hoagland/) > [To an American writer, I should think it must be a flattering distinction to escape the admiration of the newspapers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-trollope/to-an-american-writer-i-should-think-it-must-be-a-flattering/) [Frances Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-trollope/) > [“Failing to be American (The Sonnet) I've tried to rekindle the American sentiment of my early days of writing, but in vain. Once you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/failing-to-be-american-the-sonnet-i-ve-tried-to-rekindle-the-american/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [Let me now praise the American writer James Dickey. In 1970, his novel 'Deliverance' was published. I found it to be 278 pages that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/let-me-now-praise-the-american-writer-james-dickey-in-1970-his-novel/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [James Baldwin is one of the greatest, North American writers of the second half of the Twentieth Century. A prolific writer and a brilliant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raoul-peck/james-baldwin-is-one-of-the-greatest-north-american-writers-of-the/) [Raoul Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raoul-peck/) > [I'm a writer. In Latin America, they say I'm a Latin-American writer because I also write in Spanish and my books are translated, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/i-m-a-writer-in-latin-america-they-say-i-m-a-latin-american-writer/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > ['Freeing' a literary work into the public domain is less a public benefit than a transfer of wealth from the families of American writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/freeing-a-literary-work-into-the-public-domain-is-less-a-public/) [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) > [Every time I make an American film I just trust the American director and American writer. Myself, I would never make this kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-chan/every-time-i-make-an-american-film-i-just-trust-the-american-director/) [Jackie Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-chan/) > [Offhand, the only North American writers I can think of who have come from a background of rural poverty and gone on to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alden-nowlan/offhand-the-only-north-american-writers-i-can-think-of-who-have-come/) [Alden Nowlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alden-nowlan/) [Browse all 155 American writer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-writer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I want people to read good work. If I see someone reading a book by Lorrie Moore or Jennifer Egan, I'm psyched. If I see them reading X Latin American Writer Who Sucks, I'm not psyched. 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