“Contrary to current prejudicial ideas, the people who do not have the right to stand alone are precisely the artists. Art cannot be a monologue. When even isolated and unknown artists appeal to posterity, they are doing nothing more than reaffirming the very meaning of their work. Because they consider that a dialogue with deaf or distracted contemporaries is impossible, they appeal for greater dialogues with generations to come.
“But to speak to everyone about everyone, it is necessary to speak of what everyone knows and the reality that is common to us all. The sea, the rain, our needs and desires, the struggle against death—these are the things that unite us. We resemble each other through what we see together, the things we suffer through together. Dreams change according to the person, but the reality of the world is our common ground. The goal of realism is thus legitimate, for it is inextricably linked to the artistic experience.”
Create Dangerously: The Power and Responsibility of the Artist, Albert Camus
An electrifying and timeless book of ideas about how artists can resist and overcome the forces of fascism written by one of the greats of the 20th Century, Albert Camus who created a massive body of work while actively resisting Nazism during WWII.
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Genre: Essays, Non-Fiction, Politics, Art
Publisher: Vintage
Review in one word: Electrifying
“Create Dangerously” is a short book of essays written in the 1950s by Albert Camus. Despite its age, its snappy insights feel immediately applicable to the current state of our world in 2025 and beyond. Camus touches on weighty topics like the role and responsibility of the artist, resisting fascism through artistic expression and rebellion, human freedom, love, beauty and despair and much more.
Content Catnip 
Brilliant. Thank you for the review. I think this is the book I read 40 years ago and was misplaced. I was so sad to have lost it. 🌺👌
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