--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's the fact that American fiction is…" description: "\"There's the fact that American fiction is basically the most apolitical fiction on the globe. A South American writer wouldn't dare think of writing a ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b09/michael-cunningham-1120_american-writer_there-s-the-fact-that-american-fiction-i_1512717.jpg" --- # There's the fact that American fiction is basically the… ![“There's the fact that American fiction is basically the most apolitical fiction on the globe. A South American writer wouldn't dare think of writing a novel if it didn't allude to the system into which these people are orchestrated - or an Eastern European writer, or a Russian writer, or a Chinese…” quote by Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b09/michael-cunningham-1120_american-writer_there-s-the-fact-that-american-fiction-i_1512717.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b09/michael-cunningham-1120_american-writer_there-s-the-fact-that-american-fiction-i_1512717.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b09/michael-cunningham-1120_american-writer_there-s-the-fact-that-american-fiction-i_1512717.jpg) > “There's the fact that American fiction is basically the most apolitical fiction on the globe. A South American writer wouldn't dare think of writing a novel if it didn't allude to the system into which these people are orchestrated - or an Eastern European writer, or a Russian writer, or a Chinese writer. Only American writers are able to imagine that the government and the corporations - all of it - seem to have no effect whatsoever.” [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. American fiction often avoids political topics, unlike writers from other regions who must address systemic issues **In simple terms:** American novels tend to be apolitical compared to global peers Key Takeaway Consider political context in storytelling Themes literature politics culture Mood thoughtful analytical Type critical explanatory When to use this quote - novel writing - literary criticism - education - publishing Key Concepts censorship global perspectives Questions to Reflect On - What factors drive apolitical trends in US fiction? - How can writers incorporate political awareness responsibly? A Different Perspective American writers may overlook systemic critique due to market expectations ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-fiction-374351/) [American writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-writer/) [American writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-writers/) [Apolitical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apolitical/) [Apolitical Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apolitical-fiction-5572282/) [Chinese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chinese/) [Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dare/) [Eastern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eastern/) [Fiction Basically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-basically-2237418/) [Imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine/) [Imagine that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine-that/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writer American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-american-3565666/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Evidently, there are many great American writers. 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In this, her latest . . . she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-rorem/if-asked-to-list-my-ten-favorite-american-fiction-writers-gail-godwin/) [Ned Rorem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-rorem/) > [Ruefulness is one of the classical tones of American fiction. It fosters a native, deglamorized form of anxiety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-broyard/ruefulness-is-one-of-the-classical-tones-of-american-fiction-it/) [Anatole Broyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-broyard/) > [I think the MFA programs have had a real effect on the state of American fiction, but I don't think it's a question of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-harbach/i-think-the-mfa-programs-have-had-a-real-effect-on-the-state-of/) [Chad Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-harbach/) > [The most popular American fiction seems to be about successful people who win, and good crime fiction typically does not explore that world. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pelecanos/the-most-popular-american-fiction-seems-to-be-about-successful-people/) [George Pelecanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pelecanos/) > [IT is mere coincidence that Cooper was born in the year which produced The Power of Sympathy and that when he died Uncle Tom's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-clinton-van-doren/it-is-mere-coincidence-that-cooper-was-born-in-the-year-which/) [Carl Clinton Van Doren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-clinton-van-doren/) > [There is nothing wrong with wanting to publish - or read - books that have a wide potential audience. But it does generate a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/there-is-nothing-wrong-with-wanting-to-publish-or-read-books-that/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [“You can’t even read American fiction to get a sense of how actual life is lived these days. You read American fiction to learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/you-can-t-even-read-american-fiction-to-get-a-sense-of-how-actual/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [There's a tradition in American fiction that is deadly serious and earnest - like the Steinbeckian social novel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/there-s-a-tradition-in-american-fiction-that-is-deadly-serious-and/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [“Where are they, the American fiction writers whose works are interested in the question “What do these people have to do with us?” and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/where-are-they-the-american-fiction-writers-whose-works-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Here is one of the fundamental defects of American fiction--perhaps the one character that sets it off sharply from all other known kinds of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/here-is-one-of-the-fundamental-defects-of-american-fiction-perhaps/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [I do think that I have a sensitivity to the depictions of maybe all minorities in literature. And I think that the experience of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumaan-alam/i-do-think-that-i-have-a-sensitivity-to-the-depictions-of-maybe-all/) [Rumaan Alam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumaan-alam/) > [There is a insularity within American fiction even for adults. It's very tough for books in translation in the US.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laila-lalami/there-is-a-insularity-within-american-fiction-even-for-adults-it-s/) [Laila Lalami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laila-lalami/) ## More by Michael Cunningham > [“Mizzy has wandered into the garden. Carole looks contemplatively at him, says, "Lovely boy." "My wife's insanely younger brother. He's one of those kids…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/mizzy-has-wandered-into-the-garden-carole-looks-contemplatively-at/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“Zoe loved Trancas's mother. She respected her exhausted and ironic hope for rebirth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/zoe-loved-trancas-s-mother-she-respected-her-exhausted-and-ironic/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [The lives great artists live and the books they write are two very different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/the-lives-great-artists-live-and-the-books-they-write-are-two-very/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“How often since then has she wondered what might have happened if she'd tried to remain with him; if she’d returned Richard's kiss on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/how-often-since-then-has-she-wondered-what-might-have-happened-if-she/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“...a full week of their mother's quiet fury over the fun they don't seem to be having and their father's dogged attempts to provide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/a-full-week-of-their-mother-s-quiet-fury-over-the-fun-they-don-t-seem/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [Oh, all you immigrants and visionaries, what do you hope to find here, who do you hope to become?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/oh-all-you-immigrants-and-visionaries-what-do-you-hope-to-find-here/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“She wants to have baked a cake that banishes sorrow, even if only for a little while.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/she-wants-to-have-baked-a-cake-that-banishes-sorrow-even-if-only-for/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“And yet, it gives Peter nothing. Not now. Not today. Not when he needs... more. More than this well-executed idea. More than the shark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/and-yet-it-gives-peter-nothing-not-now-not-today-not-when-he-needs/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [He insists on a version of you that is funnier, stranger, more eccentric and prfound thatn you suspect yourself to be--capable of doing more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/he-insists-on-a-version-of-you-that-is-funnier-stranger-more/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [The worst are full of passionate intensity while the best lack all conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/the-worst-are-full-of-passionate-intensity-while-the-best-lack-all/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“And here he is, letting the massive steel street door click shut behind him, standing at the top of the three iron steps that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/and-here-he-is-letting-the-massive-steel-street-door-click-shut/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [It's the world, you live in it, even if some boy has made a fool of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/it-s-the-world-you-live-in-it-even-if-some-boy-has-made-a-fool-of-you/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“She's had a long life. Now she's going to the Lord." "Frankly it creeps me out a little when you say things like that,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/she-s-had-a-long-life-now-she-s-going-to-the-lord-frankly-it-creeps/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [Any other vexations to report?" he asks. "I love the word 'vexations.'" "It's the 'x.' Nice to jump off a 'v' and bite into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/any-other-vexations-to-report-he-asks-i-love-the-word-vexations-it-s/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [Dead, we are revealed in our true dimensions, and they are surprisingly modest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/dead-we-are-revealed-in-our-true-dimensions-and-they-are-surprisingly/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) [Explore all 277 Michael Cunningham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) ## 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. 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