--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mark Helprin and Lawrence Durrell, both…" description: "\"Mark Helprin and Lawrence Durrell, both of whom write fat and florid novels that appall me now but opened my eyes to the power of fiction when I was in..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19d/kevin-patterson-40275_books_mark-helprin-and-lawrence-durrell-both-o_2988169.jpg" --- # Mark Helprin and Lawrence Durrell, both of whom write fat… ![“Mark Helprin and Lawrence Durrell, both of whom write fat and florid novels that appall me now but opened my eyes to the power of fiction when I was in my 20s.” quote by Kevin Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19d/kevin-patterson-40275_books_mark-helprin-and-lawrence-durrell-both-o_2988169.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19d/kevin-patterson-40275_books_mark-helprin-and-lawrence-durrell-both-o_2988169.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19d/kevin-patterson-40275_books_mark-helprin-and-lawrence-durrell-both-o_2988169.jpg) > “Mark Helprin and Lawrence Durrell, both of whom write fat and florid novels that appall me now but opened my eyes to the power of fiction when I was in my 20s.” [Kevin Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-patterson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author reflects on how early exposure to lush, exaggerated fiction shaped his belief in storytelling’s transformative power despite later aesthetic criticism. **In simple terms:** Early rich novels taught him fiction’s impact, even if they now seem overblown. Key Takeaway Recognize the lasting influence of early literary experiences. Themes literature personal growth nostalgia Mood reflective nostalgic Type analytical personal When to use this quote - college reading - creative writing workshops - book clubs - literary criticism Key Concepts fiction aesthetic taste cognitive development Questions to Reflect On - How did those novels change your worldview? - Do you still value the style you once admired? A Different Perspective Overly ornate prose can obscure clarity and alienate some readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eyes/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Novels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novels/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) ## Related quotes > [“The richest love is that which submits to the arbitration of time." 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I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-doria-russell/like-so-many-boomers-i-saw-lawrence-of-arabia-in-1962-when-it-was/) [Mary Doria Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-doria-russell/) > [“I WANT her though, to take the same from me. She touches me as if I were herself, her own. She has not realized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/i-want-her-though-to-take-the-same-from-me-she-touches-me-as-if-i/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) ## More by Kevin Patterson > [I work on quiet call nights in the hospital, on airplanes and on my sailboat when I have a bit of time - I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-patterson/i-work-on-quiet-call-nights-in-the-hospital-on-airplanes-and-on-my/) [Kevin Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-patterson/) > [The whole world loves a maverick and the whole world wants the maverick to achieve something nobler than simple rebellion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-patterson/the-whole-world-loves-a-maverick-and-the-whole-world-wants-the/) [Kevin Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-patterson/) > [Solitude sharpens awareness of small pleasures otherwise lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-patterson/solitude-sharpens-awareness-of-small-pleasures-otherwise-lost/) [Kevin Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-patterson/) > [“Languor is underrated. 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They exist alongside and are indifferent to words and description and dissection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-patterson/storms-are-sex-they-exist-alongside-and-are-indifferent-to-words-and/) [Kevin Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-patterson/) > [I've worked in the Inuit hamlets of the west coast of Hudson Bay since 1994. Over that time I've been very moved by both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-patterson/i-ve-worked-in-the-inuit-hamlets-of-the-west-coast-of-hudson-bay/) [Kevin Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-patterson/) [Explore all 11 Kevin Patterson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-patterson/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. 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 > [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": "Mark Helprin and Lawrence Durrell, both of whom write fat and florid novels that appall me now but opened my eyes to the power of fiction when I was in my 20s.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kevin Patterson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-patterson/mark-helprin-and-lawrence-durrell-both-of-whom-write-fat-and-florid/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-patterson/mark-helprin-and-lawrence-durrell-both-of-whom-write-fat-and-florid/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19d/kevin-patterson-40275_books_mark-helprin-and-lawrence-durrell-both-o_2988169.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19d/kevin-patterson-40275_books_mark-helprin-and-lawrence-durrell-both-o_2988169.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19d/kevin-patterson-40275_books_mark-helprin-and-lawrence-durrell-both-o_2988169.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Mark Helprin and Lawrence Durrell, both of whom write fat and florid novels that appall me now but opened my…” — Kevin Patterson", "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": "Kevin Patterson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-patterson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Mark Helprin and Lawrence Durrell, both...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-patterson/mark-helprin-and-lawrence-durrell-both-of-whom-write-fat-and-florid/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-patterson/mark-helprin-and-lawrence-durrell-both-of-whom-write-fat-and-florid/#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 } } ] } ```