"I've been as bad an influence on American literature as anyone I can think of"
- Dashiell Hammett
About this Quote
In this quote, Dashiell Hammett, a popular American author, is assessing his impact on American literature. He acknowledges that he has actually been an unfavorable influence, possibly even worse than anybody else he can think of. This statement might be translated in a few different ways. On one hand, Hammett may be expressing remorse for the content of his writing, which typically included violence, criminal activity, and morally unclear characters. He may feel that his work has added to an unfavorable representation of American society and culture. On the other hand, Hammett could also be acknowledging his own success and influence in forming the category of hard-boiled detective fiction, which has been both praised and slammed for its gritty and sensible portrayal of American life. In general, this quote highlights the intricacy and impact of Hammett's composing on American literature.
This quote is written / told by Dashiell Hammett between May 27, 1894 and January 10, 1961. He was a famous Author from USA.
The author also have 18 other quotes.
"A lawyer without history or literature is a mechanic, a mere working mason; if he possesses some knowledge of these, he may venture to call himself an architect"
"Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it"
"Great literature must spring from an upheaval in the author's soul. If that upheaval is not present then it must come from the works of any other author which happens to be handy and easily adapted"
"All literature consists of whatever the writer thinks is cool. The reader will like the book to the degree that he agrees with the writer about what's cool"
"What fascinated me mostly about Mickey Cohen was that he, in his later years, hired someone to help him to comprehend literature, to help him to read better, to understand words better"
"Among the letters my readers write me, there is a certain category which is continuously growing, and which I see as a symptom of the increasing intellectualization of the relationship between readers and literature"
