I think in a way the great irony or paradox about America is that it makes it so hard for the sensitive person, the artist, the impressionable person, the person whose raison d'etre is to incarnate the creative will, rather than to just make money, and yet that extreme difficulty that the culture poses for us has created some of the best artists in the last hundred years.
Hubert Selby, Jr.There are a lot of people in this country who really like my writing. And a lot of writers respect me. But the so-called establishment? They hate me.
Hubert Selby, Jr.... I started to die 36 hours before I was born, so dying was a way of life for me.
Hubert Selby, Jr.The voice so filled with nostalgia that you could almost see the memories floating through the blue smoke, memories not only of music and joy and youth, but perhaps, of dreams. They listened to the music, each hearing it in his own way, feeling relaxed and a part of the music, a part of each other, and almost a part of the world.
Hubert Selby, Jr.