Al Alvarez Quotes, born August 5, 1929, in London, England, and passing on September 23, 2019, was an English poet, novelist, essayist, and critic who published under the names A. Alvarez and Al Alvarez. Educated at Oundle School and Corpus Christi College, Oxford, where he earned a First in English, Alvarez briefly taught at Oxford and in the USA before becoming a full-time writer in his late twenties. Renowned for his anthology The New Poetry (1962), which championed raw, honest verse, and his seminal study The Savage God: A Study of Suicide (1971), he explored art, suicide, and human vulnerability. A poker enthusiast, rock climber, and literary critic, his works like Feeding the Rat (1988) and Where Did It All Go Right? (1999) blend personal reflection with cultural analysis. These 15 quotes—sourced from his books, interviews, public statements, and posts on X—reflect his wisdom on writing, art, life, and resilience, capturing his sharp intellect and fearless exploration of human experience.
15 Al Alvarez Quotes
- “No man kills himself unless there is something wrong with his life.” (The Savage God: A Study of Suicide, p. 104, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2013)
- “Despair, in short, seeks its own environment as surely as water finds its own level.” (The Savage God: A Study of Suicide, p. 118, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2013)
- “The better the artist, the more vulnerable he seems to be.” (The Savage God: A Study of Suicide, p. 40, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2013)
- “To put yourself into a situation where a mistake cannot necessarily be recouped, where the life you lose may be your own, clears the head wonderfully.” (The Savage God: A Study of Suicide, p. 274, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2013)
- “I hate writing.” (Interview, theysaidso.com, n.d.)
- “Now, if, as I think, writing should be, it’s a kind of risky trade.” (Interview, MindZip, n.d.)
- “I think one of the interesting things about poker is that once you let your ego in, you’re done for.” (Quotes.net, n.d.)
- “Yes, I think poker really isn’t gambling.” (BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “I mean being a writer is like being a psychoanalyst, but you don’t get any patients.” (Quotes.net, n.d.)
- “In [The New Poetry] I had attacked the British poets’ nervous preference for gentility above all else, and their avoidance of the uncomfortable, destructive truths both of the inner life and of the present time.” (The New Poetry, BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “When neither high purpose nor the categorical imperatives of religion will do, the only argument against suicide is life itself.” (The Savage God: A Study of Suicide, p. 283, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2013)
- “Poetry is certainly about pitting yourself against the unknown.” (Interview, Granta, 2013)
- “I’m good at reading people.” (BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “Hold’em is a game of calculated aggression. If your cards are good enough for you to call a bet, they are good enough to raise with.” (minimalistquotes.com, n.d.)
- “Twentieth-century art may start with nothing, but it flourishes by virtue of its belief in itself, in the possibility of control over what seems essentially uncontrollable.” (The Savage God: A Study of Suicide, p. 271, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2013)
Al Alvarez’s quotes are a profound blend of raw insight, creative courage, and unflinching honesty, inspiring us to confront life’s truths, embrace risk, and find meaning in the struggle. Which one’s got you ready to face the unknown? Drop it in the comments and keep Alvarez’s bold legacy thriving!
Emma Thompson
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