As long as the state permits itself to interfere in the affairs of literature, literature has the right to interfere with the affairs of state.
In poetic thought, the role of the subconscious is played by euphony.
Bad literature is a form of treason.
Language and, presumably, literature are more ancient and inevitable, more durable than any form of social organization. The revulsion, irony, or indifference often expressed by literature toward the state is essentially the reaction of the permanent-better yet, the infinite-against the temporary, against the finite.
When Thomas Mann arrived in California from Germany, they asked him about German literature. And he said, 'German literature is where I am.' It's really a bit grand, but if a German can afford it, I can afford it.
