In a published conversation Antony Gormley asked Ian McEwan, “What is the comfort we seek when we go into the elemental world, and how do we use it?” Ian McEwan’s reply:
I feel bigger, freer. I remind myself (not having any religion) of the arbitrary fact of existence, that it could all be the consequence of an extraordinary chapter of accidents on a beautiful rock surrounded by sterile space. So to cross a landscape is a kind of necessity, and the longer I’m out there – if I can get time to walk days on end – that feeling grows. It’s hard to describe without falling into a well of clichés. It kicked in for me with the hormones, the first stirrings of adolescence. It was very strong, that sense of the earth, the rocks, the trees, the earthly realm really filled me at that age with joy, and nothing, not literature, not even sex could fulfill me in that way.
(Quoted on page 104 of “Ian McEwan & Antony Gormley: A Conversation about Art and Nature,” by Ian McEwan. The Kenyon Review, Winter, 2006, pp. 104-112.)
For a brief biography of Ian McEwan, click here. For images of or relating to Ian McEwan, click here.
For a brief biography of Antony Gormley, click here. For images of or relating to Antony Gormley, click here.
The Friend You've Been Waiting For
- The friend you've been waiting for has also been waiting for you. Meet each other at your local animal shelter.
Who runs this blog?
- The Saunterer. That's me, H. Charles Romesburg, Professor in the Department of Environment and Society, Utah State University. As part of my research I saunter through the writings of especially creative people, keeping an eye open for insightful ideas on subjects that are joined with great goodness and creativity. I will in this blog present ideas from the writings of more than three hundred of these creators: painters, scientists, mathematicians, entrepreneurs, writers, poets, naturalists, actors, rock climbers and more. Among the subjects that will be covered: How workers in most every vocation and avocation can work as artists do, creating use, beauty, or both, of rare note. How regularly experiencing wild nature makes us better creators. How it is that the more all forms of life come to be revered, the more creative society will be. For some of the other subjects that will be covered, click on cnr.usu.edu/romesburg
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Copyright 2005 by H. C. Romesburg
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November 15, 2010
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Recent Posts
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Recent Comments
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Books by H. Charles Romesburg
H. Charles Romesburg: The Life of the Creative Spirit
Practically all of the quotations in this blog's posts are collected in "The Life of the Creative Spirit."H. Charles Romesburg: How About It, Writer?
Based on a study of more than 12,000 essays from the very best literary magazines, this book provides writers with lists of thousands of classic forms of opening sentences, titles, transition sentences, ways of saying "for example," and ways of closing nonfiction pieces. When you are writing an essay and want a hint for a better or fresh way of saying what you mean, looking through the lists acts on the imagination, stimulating your creativity. From Lulu Press (ISBN 1-4116-2862-4, 194 pp., softback), it's $16.95 when ordered from Lulu.com/Romesburg , and $22.95 from bookstores. To view its cover, click on www.cnr.usu.edu/romesburg/how_about_it_writer.htm To view its title page, contents, and first two chapters, click on: www.cnr.usu.edu/romesburg/how_about_it_writer_preview.pdfH Charles Romesburg: Best Research Practices
The Saunterer’s new book (2009), Best Research Practices explains how to plan and carry out reliable experiments, how to conceive and circumstantially support research hypotheses, how to test research hypotheses with the hypothetico-deductive method, how to discover cause and effect, and more. It’s based on his examination of 5,000 top scientific articles, studying the methods used to produce reliable knowledge. Preview it on-line by going to the following link: http://print.google.com/print?isbn=9780557017836
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