That Cursed Blessing

Pearl Sydenstricker Buck(1892–1973) was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1938, but she is not a household name anymore. That's a shame. Her novel The Good Earth is still a wonderful book, and helps anyone interested to understand China. Miss Buck phrased my favorite quote on the blessing and curse of being born write, paint or compose: “The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: A human creature born abnormally, inhumanly sensitive. To him... a touch is a blow, a sound is a noise, a misfortune is a tragedy, a joy is an ecstasy, a friend is a lover, a lover is a god, and failure is death. Add to this cruelly delicate organism the overpowering necessity to create, create, create -- so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, his very breath is cut off from him. He must create, must pour out creation. By some strange, unknown, inward urgency he is not really alive unless he is creating.” Very true, Pearl.