20th century Quote by Salman Rushdie
“It's difficult not to color our perception of author's product with his personality. There are so many examples of this. What do we think of Ezra Pound - clearly a great poet and clearly kind of an asshole? You can say the same thing about Louis-Ferdinand Céline, who clearly was a Nazi sympathizer, and yet one of the great writers of the 20th century. It is tough, but there are enough examples around where we have to somehow find a way of separating the work from the artist and seeing what there is to see in the work, while also condemning the thoughts we see in the man.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Guardian, 2019
Separating creator’s personal flaws from their work is challenging but necessary to evaluate art on its own merits.
In simple terms: We must judge art separately from the artist’s flaws.
Key Takeaway
Distinguish work from creator.
Themes
ethics
art criticism
separation of art and artist
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
analytical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- literary analysis
- museum curation
- media criticism
Key Concepts
moral complexity
cognitive bias
Questions to Reflect On
- Can we ever fully separate art from artist?
- What criteria help maintain objectivity?
A Different Perspective
Personal bias can cloud judgment.
![“Early in his life Mr. [Ezra] Pound met with strong, continued, and unintelligent opposition. If people keep opposing you when you are right, you think them fools; and after a time, right or wrong, you think them fools simply because they oppose you. Similarly, you write true things or good things…” quote by Randall Jarrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/5a7/randall-jarrell-3811_ends_early-in-his-life-mr-ezra-pound-met-with_359433.jpg)
![“[On Ezra Pound:] A village explainer, excellent if you were a village, but if you were not, not.” quote by Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/23a/gertrude-stein-667_excellent_on-ezra-pound-a-village-explainer-excell_606303.jpg)
