Feb 19, 2023
Is failure an inherent part of the
writing "enterprise"? Yes, I'd say, this is undoubtedly true. If
seen, however, solely as an "exercise" in itself, does this still
hold true? I'm not quite so sure.
These are the axes along which I tread
during my conversation with Stephen Marche about
his valuable new book On Writing and Failure: Or, On the
Peculiar Perseverance Required to Endure the Life of a Writer,
an essay published by Biblioasis.
We talk about, among other things,
fulfillment, learning, self-knowledge, horse-feathers, attention,
Jesus, Beckett, privacy, connection, writing and failure of course,
intention, recognition, fame, meaning, communication, money,
futility, perseverance, success, publishing, expletives, essays,
Confucius, Socrates, Samuel Johnson, depression, mental health and
illness, comfort, getting your balls cut off, fame, mock
executions, resonance, and the cure for cosmic
loneliness.