---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: John Hawkes is an extraordinary writer. I…"
description: "\"“John Hawkes is an extraordinary writer. I have always admired his books. They should he more widely read.”\" — Saul Bellow"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/210/saul-bellow-558_books_john-hawkes-is-an-extraordinary-writer-i_2272241.png"
---

#  John Hawkes is an extraordinary writer. I have always…

![“John Hawkes is an extraordinary writer. I have always admired his books. They should he more widely read.” quote by Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/210/saul-bellow-558_books_john-hawkes-is-an-extraordinary-writer-i_2272241.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/210/saul-bellow-558_books_john-hawkes-is-an-extraordinary-writer-i_2272241.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/210/saul-bellow-558_books_john-hawkes-is-an-extraordinary-writer-i_2272241.png)

> ““John Hawkes is an extraordinary writer. I have always admired his books. They should he more widely read.””

[Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Praising John Hawkes’s writing and urging wider readership.

**In simple terms:** John Hawkes is a great writer who deserves more readers.

Key Takeaway

Promote Hawkes’s works to a broader audience.

Themes

literature advocacy author recognition

Mood

enthusiastic encouraging

Type

promotional literary

When to use this quote

- book clubs
- literary curricula
- publishing decisions
- media reviews

Key Concepts

critical acclaim cultural impact

Questions to Reflect On

- Why are some authors underread?
- How can readers discover overlooked writers?

A Different Perspective

Limited exposure may stem from niche style or market trends.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [Arnold Bennett was a writer I admired. He was actually taking notes at his father's deathbed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-leonard/arnold-bennett-was-a-writer-i-admired-he-was-actually-taking-notes-at/)

[Hugh Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-leonard/)

> [John Hawkes is amazing. I really want to meet that man; he's so good. Him and Ben Foster, and I'm a big fan of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-culkin/john-hawkes-is-amazing-i-really-want-to-meet-that-man-he-s-so-good/)

[Rory Culkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-culkin/)

> [An extraordinary writer…It is the vastness of Nick Tosches’ heart that makes it possible to reveal the darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/an-extraordinary-writer-it-is-the-vastness-of-nick-tosches-heart-that/)

[Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/)

> [Steven Erikson is an extraordinary writer. I read Gardens of the Moon with great pleasure. And now that I have read it, I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-donaldson/steven-erikson-is-an-extraordinary-writer-i-read-gardens-of-the-moon/)

[Stephen R. Donaldson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-donaldson/)

> [With Salvage the Bones, Jesmyn Ward has written the best sort of novel-a beautiful, important book that's both unflinching and tender, heartbreaking and triumphant.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/skip-horack/with-salvage-the-bones-jesmyn-ward-has-written-the-best-sort-of-novel/)

Skip Horack

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/)

Christopher K. Krebs

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/)

[Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

## More by Saul Bellow

> [... a fellow can't predict what he will pick up in the form of influence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/a-fellow-can-t-predict-what-he-will-pick-up-in-the-form-of-influence/)

[Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/)

> [If I'm out of my mind, it's all right with me, thought Moses Herzog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/if-i-m-out-of-my-mind-it-s-all-right-with-me-thought-moses-herzog/)

[Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/)

> [I have begun in old age to understand just how oddly we are all put together. We are so proud of our autonomy that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/i-have-begun-in-old-age-to-understand-just-how-oddly-we-are-all-put/)

[Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/)

> [“On Broadway it was still bright afternoon and the gassy air was almost motionless under the leaden spokes of sunlight, and sawdust footprints lay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/on-broadway-it-was-still-bright-afternoon-and-the-gassy-air-was/)

[Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/)

> [There are evils that have the ability to survive identification and go on for ever... money, for instance, or war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-are-evils-that-have-the-ability-to-survive-identification-and/)

[Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/)

> [Myself is thus and so, and will continue thus and so. And why fight it? My balance comes from instability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/myself-is-thus-and-so-and-will-continue-thus-and-so-and-why-fight-it/)

[Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/)

> [“A strange heart. I myself can't account for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/a-strange-heart-i-myself-can-t-account-for-it/)

[Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/)

> [The late philosopher Morris R. Cohen of CCNY was asked by a student in the metaphysics course, Professor Cohen, how do I know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/the-late-philosopher-morris-r-cohen-of-ccny-was-asked-by-a-student-in/)

[Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/)

> [“Therefore we didn't talk of genuine things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/therefore-we-didn-t-talk-of-genuine-things/)

[Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/)

> [Is our species crazy? Plenty of evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/is-our-species-crazy-plenty-of-evidence/)

[Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/)

> [“But now the emphasis has shifted to making it. People have surrendered their personal moral objectives to government or schools or psychologists. It’s a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/but-now-the-emphasis-has-shifted-to-making-it-people-have-surrendered/)

[Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/)

> [There's a kind of emptiness at the center of life ... nothing to form your life on, or by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-s-a-kind-of-emptiness-at-the-center-of-life-nothing-to-form/)

[Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/)

> [“I don't know how it all at once came to me to talk a lot, tell jokes, kick up, and suddenly have views. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/i-don-t-know-how-it-all-at-once-came-to-me-to-talk-a-lot-tell-jokes/)

[Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/)

> [There are times when the most practical thing is to lie down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-are-times-when-the-most-practical-thing-is-to-lie-down/)

[Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/)

> [“For knowledge of death makes us wish to extend our lives at the expense of others. And this is the root of the struggle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/for-knowledge-of-death-makes-us-wish-to-extend-our-lives-at-the/)

[Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/)

[Explore all 464 Saul Bellow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/)

## 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! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/)

[Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/)

Christopher K. Krebs

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. 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": "“John Hawkes is an extraordinary writer. I have always admired his books. They should he more widely read.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Saul Bellow"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/john-hawkes-is-an-extraordinary-writer-i-have-always-admired-his/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/john-hawkes-is-an-extraordinary-writer-i-have-always-admired-his/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/210/saul-bellow-558_books_john-hawkes-is-an-extraordinary-writer-i_2272241.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/210/saul-bellow-558_books_john-hawkes-is-an-extraordinary-writer-i_2272241.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/210/saul-bellow-558_books_john-hawkes-is-an-extraordinary-writer-i_2272241.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“John Hawkes is an extraordinary writer. I have always admired his books. They should he more widely read.” — Saul Bellow",
                "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": "Saul Bellow",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“John Hawkes is an extraordinary writer....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/john-hawkes-is-an-extraordinary-writer-i-have-always-admired-his/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/john-hawkes-is-an-extraordinary-writer-i-have-always-admired-his/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
