Cyril Connolly
Cyril Connolly
Cyril Vernon Connollywas a literary critic and writer. He was the editor of the influential literary magazine Horizonand wrote Enemies of Promise, which combined literary criticism with an autobiographical exploration of why he failed to become the successful author of fiction that he had aspired to be in his youth...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionJournalist
Date of Birth10 September 1903
learnt life maze turn walk wrong
Life is a maze in which we take the wrong turn before we have learnt to walk
disliked given life moments total
I have always disliked myself at any given moment; the total of such moments is my life
condemned himself lazy starts talents whatever
A lazy person, whatever the talents with which he starts out, have condemned himself to second-rate thoughts, and to second-rate friends
butchers fear irrational life policemen publishers repressed supposed
As repressed sadists are supposed to become policemen or butchers so those with irrational fear of life become publishers
art enemy good hall somber
There is no more somber enemy of good art than the pram in the hall
funny death suicide
There are many who dare not kill themselves for fear of what the neighbours will say.
problem should seems
The greatest problem with women is how to contrive that they should seem our equals
mistake reality interesting
A mistake which is commonly made about neurotics is to suppose that they are interesting. It is not interesting to be always unhappy, engrossed with oneself, malignant and ungrateful, and never quite in touch with reality.
arguing modern poet
Poets arguing about modern poetry: jackals snarling over a dried-up well.
veins lessons
The lesson one can learn from Firbank is that of inconsequence. There is the vein which he tapped and which has not yet been fully exploited.
movement scandal publicity
An aesthetic movement with a revolutionary dynamism and no popular appeal should proceed quite otherwise than by public scandal, publicity stunt, noisy expulsion and excommunication.
mistake matter good-work
It is a mistake to expect good work from expatriates for it is not what they do that matters but what they are not doing.
cheating revenge infidelity
A woman's desire for revenge outlasts all her other emotions.
dungeon self serving
We are all serving a life-sentence in the dungeon of self