I was interested by the idea that artists working in a totalitarian dictatorship or tsarist autocracy are secretly and slightly shamefully envied by artists who work in freedom. They have the gratification of intense interest: the authorities want to put them in jail, while there are younger readers for whom what they write is pure oxygen.

Summary

This quote suggests that artists working in oppressive regimes, such as a totalitarian dictatorship or tsarist autocracy, may be secretly envied by artists who work in freedom. Despite facing the risk of imprisonment, these artists experience the gratification of intense interest from the authorities. Meanwhile, younger audiences view their work as vital and necessary, providing them with a sense of being truly alive. Essentially, it highlights the paradoxical situation where artists in repressive societies have an audience craving their forbidden creations, while those in freedom may yearn for the same level of passionate attention.

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