Literary Birthday – 27 August – Ira Levin
Ira Levin was born on 27 August 1929 and died on 12 November 2007.
Ira Levin Quotes
- My goal is to entertain. That’s what any book or play has to do first. Anything beyond that is fine, but first it must entertain.
- I’m only intrigued by suspense situations that impinge on society at large as well as the individual characters involved – the backlash against feminism in The Stepford Wives, the computer-controlled society of This Perfect Day, cloning in The Boys from Brazil, and hidden surveillance cameras in Sliver. And of course the Antichrist of Rosemary’s Baby and Son of Rosemary. One of the benchmarks by which I measure a new idea – on the rare occasions when I get one – is, if it really happened would it rate at least a paragraph in the New York Times? I don’t think a writer should ask a reader’s attention for anything less.
- I really in general tend to resent works of art that make a moral point. In a way, when you write something sheerly to entertain, that’s making a moral point, too.
- I’ve admired Hopper᾿s work since […] the early 1950s – admired it for its clarity, its seeming simplicity, and its mysterious and powerful underlying sense of drama. These are qualities that I’ve sought in much of my writing.
- One great difference between good writing, that readers overlook, and bad writing, that they fail to notice, has to do with the number of rewrites and revisions usually required by the former. It isn’t at all easy to write clear, declarative prose—transparency evolves from ruthless cutting and trimming and is hard work—while lumpy, tangle-footed writing flows from the pen as if inspired by the Muse. (The Stepford Wives)
- I’ve often tried to think how a play starts, or how any kind of writing starts, but I really don’t know. I keep a pad and pencil by my bedside and I write things down at three in the morning, but they’re rarely much help. Did you ever read anything you’d written at three in the morning?
- I hatch plots in my mind, I develop a story, but most of the time I throw them away. The Interesting thing is that an idea always seems to come when you’re not looking for it. That still doesn’t help me, though; I still keep plotting and working things out in my mind.
- A good thriller and a comedy demand the same intricate plotting.
- Thrillers are satisfying deep down, because they give you the chance to deal safely with violence and murder. Things work out after all. The villain gets punished, and you survive comfortably. They’re horror stories with happy endings.
- When I’m sitting at the desk, I let my mind float a little. What’s suspenseful? What’s terrifying? Why do I respond to a certain movie or dream? What are the anxiety elements? My plots start in the abstract, then I flesh them out. Sometimes, what was fine in the abstract is too terrifying in the flesh, but I’m committed to it.
Source for quotes 1-4: Ira Levin and 6-7: Detroit Free Press and 8-10: People Magazine
Ira Levin was an American novelist, playwright, and songwriter. He built two successful careers, one as a bestselling novelist and the other as a Broadway playwright. He also wrote across many genres, including suspense, horror, science-fiction, fantasy, drama, comedy, and musical theatre. Levin is best known for novels such as A Kiss Before Dying, Rosemary’s Baby, The Stepford Wives, This Perfect Day, The Boys from Brazil, and Sliver. He also wrote the successful play Deathtrap. Many of his novels and plays were later adapted for film. Levin’s stories are known for their clever plots, believable characters, and steadily rising tension. He often created ordinary worlds that took a dark and unexpected turn, blending suspense with social satire and dark humour. His work earned him several Edgar Awards and the Prometheus Hall of Fame Award. In 1996, he received the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Source for image: Ira Levin Credit: Jean Ennis
by Amanda Patterson
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