Cesare Pavese (9 September 1908 – 27 August 1950) was an Italian poet, novelist, literary critic and translator. He is widely considered among the major authors of the 20th century in his home country.
Read more about Cesare Pavese: Early Life and Education, Arrest and Conviction; The War in Italy, After The War, Work Themes, Books
Famous quotes by cesare pavese:
“At great periods you have always felt, deep within you, the temptation to commit suicide. You gave yourself to it; breached your own defenses. You were a child. The idea of suicide was a protest against life; by dying, you would escape this longing for death.”
—Cesare Pavese (1908–1950)
“Suffering is by no means a privilege, a sign of nobility, a reminder of God. Suffering is a fierce, bestial thing, commonplace, uncalled for, natural as air. It is intangible; no one can grasp it or fight against it; it dwells in time—is the same thing as time; if it comes in fits and starts, that is only so as to leave the sufferer more defenseless during the moments that follow, those long moments when one relives the last bout of torture and waits for the next.”
—Cesare Pavese (1908–1950)
“Literature is a defense against the attacks of life. It says to life: ‘You can’t deceive me. I know your habits, foresee and enjoy watching all your reactions, and steal your secret by involving you in cunning obstructions that halt your normal flow.’”
—Cesare Pavese (1908–1950)
“Will power is only the tensile strength of one’s own disposition. One cannot increase it by a single ounce.”
—Cesare Pavese (1908–1950)
“Artists are the monks of the bourgeois state.”
—Cesare Pavese (1908–1950)