--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At one point I would read nothing that…" description: "\"At one point I would read nothing that was not by the great American Jews - Saul Bellow, Philip Roth - which had a disastrous effect of making me think..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fe/kevin-barry-15036_american_at-one-point-i-would-read-nothing-that-w_2781224.jpg" --- # At one point I would read nothing that was not by the… ![“At one point I would read nothing that was not by the great American Jews - Saul Bellow, Philip Roth - which had a disastrous effect of making me think I needed to write the next great Jewish American novel. As a ginger-haired child in the West of Ireland, that didn't work out very well, as you…” quote by Kevin Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fe/kevin-barry-15036_american_at-one-point-i-would-read-nothing-that-w_2781224.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fe/kevin-barry-15036_american_at-one-point-i-would-read-nothing-that-w_2781224.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fe/kevin-barry-15036_american_at-one-point-i-would-read-nothing-that-w_2781224.jpg) > “At one point I would read nothing that was not by the great American Jews - Saul Bellow, Philip Roth - which had a disastrous effect of making me think I needed to write the next great Jewish American novel. As a ginger-haired child in the West of Ireland, that didn't work out very well, as you can imagine.” [Kevin Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-barry/) ## 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 reflects on how reading only works by a specific cultural group created pressure to emulate that success, which felt impossible given their own background. **In simple terms:** Reading only elite works created unrealistic expectations. Key Takeaway Recognize diverse influences beyond a single tradition. Themes identity literature pressure culture expectation Mood reflective thoughtful Type analytical personal When to use this quote - creative writing - personal development - cultural integration - self‑acceptance Key Concepts cultural identity literary influence self‑expectation Questions to Reflect On - How can you broaden your literary influences? - What alternative role models can you seek? A Different Perspective The pressure to emulate a narrow canon can stifle authentic voice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Ireland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ireland/) [Jewish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jewish/) [Jews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jews/) [Judaism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judaism/) [Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Work out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-out/) ## Related quotes > [“Saul Bellow: Death is the dark backing that a mirror needs if we are able to see anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/saul-bellow-death-is-the-dark-backing-that-a-mirror-needs-if-we-are/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Saul Bellow never took my advice when he was my friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-fiedler/saul-bellow-never-took-my-advice-when-he-was-my-friend/) [Leslie Fiedler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-fiedler/) > [The reason Saul Bellow doesn't talk to me anymore is because he knows his new novels are not worth reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-fiedler/the-reason-saul-bellow-doesn-t-talk-to-me-anymore-is-because-he-knows/) [Leslie Fiedler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-fiedler/) > [I had the idea in my twenties that a writer could immediately become the late Henry James. 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-grosz/i-don-t-even-like-to-talk-about-it-i-hated-being-a-number-and-not/) [George Grosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-grosz/) > [As I was growing up, you know, I'm a white Jewish American born to Holocaust parents. My father fled Nazi Germany in 1939 and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-jarecki/as-i-was-growing-up-you-know-i-m-a-white-jewish-american-born-to/) [Eugene Jarecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-jarecki/) ## More by Kevin Barry > [Frazzled and delirious, as I've just finished a new book of stories. 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The way that everything gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-barry/the-fundamental-human-truth-underpinning-ox-mountain-death-song-is/) [Kevin Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-barry/) > [I think journalism is useful training for a writer in the way it takes the preciousness out of the pragmatic side of the craft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-barry/i-think-journalism-is-useful-training-for-a-writer-in-the-way-it/) [Kevin Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-barry/) > [“And the view was suddenly clear to me. The world opened out to its grim beyonds and I realized that, at forty, one must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-barry/and-the-view-was-suddenly-clear-to-me-the-world-opened-out-to-its/) [Kevin Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-barry/) > [The short story is a very natural mode of storytelling; most stories can be told quickly. I always think of them as like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-barry/the-short-story-is-a-very-natural-mode-of-storytelling-most-stories/) [Kevin Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-barry/) > [I don't quite operate within the realist mode. 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