J. M. Synge Quotes

A collection of quotes by J. M. Synge.

J.M. Synge (1871-1909) was an Irish playwright, poet, and writer, best known for his influential contributions to Irish literature, particularly his plays set in western Ireland. He was born in Rathfarnham, near Dublin, and was educated at Trinity College, Dublin. Synge initially pursued a career in music, studying in Germany before abandoning it due to health issues.

In the late 19th century, Synge immersed himself in the Irish literary revival, becoming a key figure in the Irish literary and cultural renaissance. His experiences traveling through the remote Aran Islands in western Ireland deeply impacted his work, inspiring him to write plays that captured the essence of rural Irish life and its inhabitants.

Synge's most celebrated play, "The Playboy of the Western World" (1907), caused controversy upon its premiere due to its portrayal of Irish society, leading to riots and protests. However, it played a significant role in revitalizing Irish drama and establishing Synge as a prominent playwright.

Throughout his career, Synge also wrote poetry and prose, including travel writings and essays. His works often portrayed the struggles of the rural Irish people, their traditions, and their connection to the land. Synge's writing demonstrated a rich use of language and a deep understanding of Irish folklore and culture.

Tragically, Synge's career was cut short when he died at the age of 37 due to complications from Hodgkin's disease. Despite his relatively short life, J.M. Synge's artistic contributions continue to hold a significant place in Irish literature and theater.

I'm a good scholar when it comes to reading but a blotting k

I'm a good scholar when it comes to reading but a blotting kind of writer when you give me a pen.

J. M. Synge

Scholars Scholarship

The grief of the keen is no personal complaint for the death

The grief of the keen is no personal complaint for the death of one woman over eighty years, but seems to contain the whole passionate rage that lurks somewhere in every native of the island. In this cry of pain the inner consciousness of the people seems to lay itself bare for an instant, and to reveal the mood of beings who feel their isolation in the face of a universe that wars on them with winds and seas.

J. M. Synge

Grief Grieving

In the middle classes the gifted son of a family is always t

In the middle classes the gifted son of a family is always the poorest -- usually a writer or artist with no sense for speculation -- and in a family of peasants, where the average comfort is just over penury, the gifted son sinks also, and is soon a tramp on the roadside.

J. M. Synge

Family

As a man has no right to kill one of his children if it is d

As a man has no right to kill one of his children if it is diseased or insane, so a man who has made the gradual and conscious expression of his personality in literature the aim of his life, has no right to suppress himself any carefully considered work which seemed good enough when it was written. Suppression, if it is deserved, will come rapidly enough from the same causes that suppress the unworthy members of a man's family.

J. M. Synge

Authors & Writing

Lord, confound this surly sister, blight her brow with blotc

Lord, confound this surly sister, blight her brow with blotch and blister, cramp her larynx, lung and liver, in her guts a galling give her.

J. M. Synge

Family

In a good play every speech should be as fully flavored as a

In a good play every speech should be as fully flavored as a nut or apple.

J. M. Synge

Theater