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Derek Walcott Quotes


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Quotes by Derek Walcott

Showing 41-50 of 119 Quotes by Derek Walcott

The painter I really thought I could learn from was Cezanne - some sort of resemblance to oranges and greens and browns of the dry season in St. Lucia.

~Derek Walcott

Topics: Could Dry Greens Learn Oranges Painter Really Resemblance Season Some Sort Thought

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A fisherman, say, working on a beach doing his job, may be photographed by a tourist because it's photogenic to see him working, and the Caribbean is extremely photogenic, so poverty is photogenic, and a lot of people are photographed in their poverty, and sometimes it's kind of exploited.

~Derek Walcott

Topics: Beach Because Caribbean Doing Exploited Extremely Fisherman Him His Job Kind Lot May People Photographed Poverty Say See Sometimes Tourist Working

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I don't think poetry has a readership anywhere, really, that's that big.

~Derek Walcott

Topics: Anywhere Big Poetry Readership Really Think

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My dedication to trying to be a poet started very, very young, and I was very well encouraged by good teachers and by older friends and so on, so I think it is a benediction, and I also think it is a calling, a duty.

~Derek Walcott

Topics: Also Calling Dedication Duty Encouraged Friends Good Good Teachers Older Poet Started Teachers Think Trying Very Well Young I Think

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How does a poet teach himself or herself? I think chiefly by imitation, chiefly by practising it as a deliberate technical exercise often. Translation, imitation, those were my methods anyway.

~Derek Walcott

Topics: Anyway Chiefly Deliberate Does Exercise Herself Himself How Imitation Methods Often Poet Practising Teach Technical Think Those Translation Were I Think

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I am not defined as a black writer in the Caribbean, but as soon as I go to America or the U.K., my place becomes black theatre. It's a little ridiculous.

~Derek Walcott

Topics: Am America Becomes Black Caribbean Defined Go Little Place Ridiculous Soon Theatre Writer I Am

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I made a vow that I wouldn't be tempted by what could happen to me if I went to Europe. I thought, 'You could be absorbed in it - it's so seductive, you might lose your own search for identity.' Then, when I did finally go to Europe, I was able to resist it because I had established my own identity.

~Derek Walcott

Topics: Able Absorb Because Could Did Established Europe Finally Go Had Happen Identity Lose Made Me Might My Own Own Resist Search Seductive Tempted Then Thought Vow You Your

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I knew very early what I wanted to do, and I considered myself lucky to know that's what I wanted, even in a place like Saint Lucia where there was no publishing house and no theatre.

~Derek Walcott

Topics: Considered Early Even House Knew Know Like Lucky Myself Place Publishing Saint Theatre Very Wanted Where

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My delight in things is definitely Caribbean. It has to do with landscape and food. The fact that my language may have a metrical direction is because that's the shape of the language. I didn't make that shape.

~Derek Walcott

Topics: Because Caribbean Definitely Delight Direction Fact Food Landscape Language Make May Shape Things

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My family background really only consists of my mother. She was a widow. My father died quite young; he must have been thirty-one. Then there was my twin brother and my sister. We had two aunts as well, my father's sisters. But the immediate family consisted of my mother, my brother, my sister, and me.

~Derek Walcott

Topics: Aunts Background Been Brother Consists Died Family Father Had He Immediate Me Mother Must Only Quite Really She Sister Sisters Then Twin Two Well Widow Young

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Biography

Nationality: Unknown

Type: Poet

Born: January 23rd, 1930

Links

Find Derek Walcott on Amazon

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