--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am the only British writer who writes…" description: "\"I am the only British writer who writes in Spanish\" — Guillermo Cabrera Infante" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/guillermo-cabrera-infante-1238_british_i-am-the-only-british-writer-who-writes_1627779.jpg" --- # I am the only British writer who writes in Spanish ![“I am the only British writer who writes in Spanish” quote by Guillermo Cabrera Infante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/guillermo-cabrera-infante-1238_british_i-am-the-only-british-writer-who-writes_1627779.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/guillermo-cabrera-infante-1238_british_i-am-the-only-british-writer-who-writes_1627779.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/guillermo-cabrera-infante-1238_british_i-am-the-only-british-writer-who-writes_1627779.jpg) > “I am the only British writer who writes in Spanish” [Guillermo Cabrera Infante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-cabrera-infante/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He uniquely writes in Spanish despite being British, highlighting cross‑cultural identity and the fluidity of language. **In simple terms:** A British writer chooses Spanish. Key Takeaway Celebrate linguistic diversity in art. Themes identity language culture Mood reflective artistic Type cultural literary When to use this quote - literary festivals - translation work - multilingual education - expatriate life Key Concepts bilingualism transcultural expression Questions to Reflect On - How does language choice affect reception? - What drives writers to switch tongues? A Different Perspective Risk of alienating native audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [British](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/british/) [Spanish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spanish/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I sometimes feel like a British writer more so than I feel like an American writer. But I think that has to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/i-sometimes-feel-like-a-british-writer-more-so-than-i-feel-like-an/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [A very wise author once said that a writer writes for himself, and then publishes for money. I write for myself and publish just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-cabrera-infante/a-very-wise-author-once-said-that-a-writer-writes-for-himself-and/) [Guillermo Cabrera Infante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-cabrera-infante/) > [The Spanish never appreciated me like the British.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seve-ballesteros/the-spanish-never-appreciated-me-like-the-british/) [Seve Ballesteros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seve-ballesteros/) > [“Bill is a fiction writer, but he writes in the first-person voice in a style that is tell-all confessional; in fact, his fiction sounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/bill-is-a-fiction-writer-but-he-writes-in-the-first-person-voice-in-a/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Writing is hard. Not as hard as not writing. Not writing is torturous, bloody, chaotic and a gruesome winless battle. A writer who writes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-weise/writing-is-hard-not-as-hard-as-not-writing-not-writing-is-torturous/) [Jamie Weise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-weise/) > [“So it is that a writer writes many books. In each book, he intended several urgent and vivid points, many of which he sacrificed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/so-it-is-that-a-writer-writes-many-books-in-each-book-he-intended/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [The writer trusts nothing she writes-it should be too reckless and alive for that, it should be beautiful and menacing and slightly out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-williams/the-writer-trusts-nothing-she-writes-it-should-be-too-reckless-and/) [Joy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-williams/) > [Sometimes a writer writes scenes for people who just say 'Hi' to indicate they're in love. I play those scenes very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-macmurray/sometimes-a-writer-writes-scenes-for-people-who-just-say-hi-to/) [Fred MacMurray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-macmurray/) > [I'm a writer who never writes about sex. It's so far from my own fictional world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/i-m-a-writer-who-never-writes-about-sex-it-s-so-far-from-my-own/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [“A writer writes. There are no exceptions to this reality. No excuses. Stop wasting time talking about your stories and get them on paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-hall/a-writer-writes-there-are-no-exceptions-to-this-reality-no-excuses/) [Christy Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christy-hall/) > [“A writer writes regardless... even though... notwithstanding... despite... at any rate... anyhow... nevertheless... in the face of... undeterred by... heedless of... and because. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/a-writer-writes-regardless-even-though-notwithstanding-despite-at-any/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [I dreamed of being an actress when I was a little kid because you don't know then that the writer writes everything the actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/i-dreamed-of-being-an-actress-when-i-was-a-little-kid-because-you-don/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [A popular writer writes about what people think. A wise writer offers them something to think about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/a-popular-writer-writes-about-what-people-think-a-wise-writer-offers/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [When it comes to writing characters, whether men or women, I think a good writer writes good characters. I know many men who, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoya-akhtar/when-it-comes-to-writing-characters-whether-men-or-women-i-think-a/) [Zoya Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoya-akhtar/) > [I always say that I'm a writer who writes more from place than race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katori-hall/i-always-say-that-i-m-a-writer-who-writes-more-from-place-than-race/) [Katori Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katori-hall/) ## More by Guillermo Cabrera Infante > [Watching a movie from beginning to end is like reading, because even though what you see are images, they are telling you a story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-cabrera-infante/watching-a-movie-from-beginning-to-end-is-like-reading-because-even/) [Guillermo Cabrera Infante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-cabrera-infante/) > [I read the Odyssey because it was the story of a man who returned home after being absent for more than twenty years and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-cabrera-infante/i-read-the-odyssey-because-it-was-the-story-of-a-man-who-returned/) [Guillermo Cabrera Infante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-cabrera-infante/) > [Dialogue in fiction is always written to be read in silence. The page is the limit. Dialogue on stage and on the screen is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-cabrera-infante/dialogue-in-fiction-is-always-written-to-be-read-in-silence-the-page/) [Guillermo Cabrera Infante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-cabrera-infante/) > [I am a writer of fragments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-cabrera-infante/i-am-a-writer-of-fragments/) [Guillermo Cabrera Infante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-cabrera-infante/) > [No, absolutely not, writing doesn't have to be like a jigsaw puzzle, it can be a very linear undertaking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-cabrera-infante/no-absolutely-not-writing-doesn-t-have-to-be-like-a-jigsaw-puzzle-it/) [Guillermo Cabrera Infante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-cabrera-infante/) > [Well, I write in exile because I cannot return to my country, so I have no choice but to see myself as an exiled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-cabrera-infante/well-i-write-in-exile-because-i-cannot-return-to-my-country-so-i-have/) [Guillermo Cabrera Infante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-cabrera-infante/) > [For me, literature is a complex game, both mental and concrete, which is acted out in a physical manner on the page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-cabrera-infante/for-me-literature-is-a-complex-game-both-mental-and-concrete-which-is/) [Guillermo Cabrera Infante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-cabrera-infante/) > [I know that many writers have had to write under censorship and yet produced good novels; for instance, Cervantes wrote Don Quixote under Catholic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-cabrera-infante/i-know-that-many-writers-have-had-to-write-under-censorship-and-yet/) [Guillermo Cabrera Infante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-cabrera-infante/) > [I do not consider myself a Hispanic writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-cabrera-infante/i-do-not-consider-myself-a-hispanic-writer/) [Guillermo Cabrera Infante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-cabrera-infante/) > [The relationship between reader and characters is very difficult. It is even more peculiar than the relationship between the writer and his characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-cabrera-infante/the-relationship-between-reader-and-characters-is-very-difficult-it/) [Guillermo Cabrera Infante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-cabrera-infante/) > [I think writers rush in where everybody is very frightened to tread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-cabrera-infante/i-think-writers-rush-in-where-everybody-is-very-frightened-to-tread/) [Guillermo Cabrera Infante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-cabrera-infante/) > [I was never a true journalist, I was a movie critic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-cabrera-infante/i-was-never-a-true-journalist-i-was-a-movie-critic/) [Guillermo Cabrera Infante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-cabrera-infante/) > [A good smoker, like a good lover, always takes his time with a cigar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-cabrera-infante/a-good-smoker-like-a-good-lover-always-takes-his-time-with-a-cigar/) [Guillermo Cabrera Infante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-cabrera-infante/) > [I do not believe in inspiration, but I must have a title in order to work, otherwise I am lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-cabrera-infante/i-do-not-believe-in-inspiration-but-i-must-have-a-title-in-order-to/) [Guillermo Cabrera Infante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-cabrera-infante/) > [You are just in the middle of a struggle with words which are really very stubborn things, with a blank page, with the damn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-cabrera-infante/you-are-just-in-the-middle-of-a-struggle-with-words-which-are-really/) [Guillermo Cabrera Infante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-cabrera-infante/) [Explore all 54 Guillermo Cabrera Infante quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-cabrera-infante/) ## More British quotes > [I'd love to work in the States; I'd love to work anywhere where you get a good script and a good part to play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-carmichael/i-d-love-to-work-in-the-states-i-d-love-to-work-anywhere-where-you/) [Laura Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-carmichael/) > [I shot for French and British Vogue. The British Vogue one featured clothes by Chloe and was shot at Highgate and the John Soane…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-shot-for-french-and-british-vogue-the-british-vogue-one-featured/) [Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [ No wonder that Churchill described this effort \[the British codebreakers working at Bletchley Park\] as "Britian"s secret weapon," a weapon far more effective than… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hilton/no-wonder-that-churchill-described-this-effort-the-british/) [Peter Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hilton/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [I always wanted to make a 'James Bond' film, and they only seemed to hire British directors, and I'd made 'Swingers' - they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-liman/i-always-wanted-to-make-a-james-bond-film-and-they-only-seemed-to/) [Doug Liman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-liman/) > [Somebody said that part of my reaction to British cinema is actually, paradoxically, a patriotic one. I'm so disappointed that we're not better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-brownlow/somebody-said-that-part-of-my-reaction-to-british-cinema-is-actually/) [Kevin Brownlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-brownlow/) > [All the cliches of glamorous sophistication have little appeal to me. Do I want to live the British version of 'Dynasty?' No thanks!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sade-adu/all-the-cliches-of-glamorous-sophistication-have-little-appeal-to-me/) [Sade Adu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sade-adu/) > [British Forces should be in a position to give back in a ten fold measure any attack that the Germans may attempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-banting/british-forces-should-be-in-a-position-to-give-back-in-a-ten-fold/) [Frederick Banting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-banting/) > [Although I don't have anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England the more the British identity disappears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/although-i-don-t-have-anything-against-people-from-other-countries/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It could be my British need for discipline that makes me admire the American appetite for freedom and passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-winwood/it-could-be-my-british-need-for-discipline-that-makes-me-admire-the/) [Steve Winwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-winwood/) > [While we like to think queueing is unique to British culture, the truth is that we are mere amateurs. The old Soviet Union turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartley-brewer/while-we-like-to-think-queueing-is-unique-to-british-culture-the/) [Julia Hartley-Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartley-brewer/) > [The American Constitution declares 'All men are born equal.' The British Socialist Party add: 'All men must be kept equal'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-american-constitution-declares-all-men-are-born-equal-the-british/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [The whole nuclear-arms-control and non-proliferation policy of the nuclear powers is a fraud: The Americans could not prevent the Soviets from replicating their weaponry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-black/the-whole-nuclear-arms-control-and-non-proliferation-policy-of-the/) [Conrad Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conrad-black/) > [There just seems to be more acceptance now of other kinds of British films, than the picture-postcard ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-roth/there-just-seems-to-be-more-acceptance-now-of-other-kinds-of-british/) [Tim Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-roth/) [Browse all 3,149 British quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/british/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I am the only British writer who writes in Spanish", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Guillermo Cabrera Infante" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-cabrera-infante/i-am-the-only-british-writer-who-writes-in-spanish/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "British" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-cabrera-infante/i-am-the-only-british-writer-who-writes-in-spanish/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/guillermo-cabrera-infante-1238_british_i-am-the-only-british-writer-who-writes_1627779.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/guillermo-cabrera-infante-1238_british_i-am-the-only-british-writer-who-writes_1627779.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/guillermo-cabrera-infante-1238_british_i-am-the-only-british-writer-who-writes_1627779.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I am the only British writer who writes in Spanish” — Guillermo Cabrera Infante", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Guillermo Cabrera Infante", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-cabrera-infante/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I am the only British writer...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-cabrera-infante/i-am-the-only-british-writer-who-writes-in-spanish/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-cabrera-infante/i-am-the-only-british-writer-who-writes-in-spanish/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```