"A book is never a masterpiece: it becomes one. Genius is the talent of a dead man"

This quote by Carl Sandburg speaks to the concept that a book is not a work of art up until it reads and appreciated by an audience. It is the readers who bring the book to life and make it a masterpiece. Sandburg is recommending that genius is not something that is produced, however rather something that is discovered. It is the genius of a dead guy, the author, that is exposed through the book. The genius of the author is just exposed when the book is read and valued by an audience. Sandburg is recommending that the genius of the author is just revealed when the book is read and valued by an audience. The genius of the author is not something that can be created, but rather something that is discovered. The genius of the author is only revealed when the book is read and appreciated by an audience. This quote talks to the concept that a book is not a work of art till it is read and valued by an audience. It is the readers who bring the book to life and make it a work of art.