Literary Birthday – 27 May – Herman Wouk

Herman Wouk was born 27 May 1915 and died 17 May 2019.

10 Quotes

In terms of narrative, my boy, there’s nothing but the Bible for sheer storytelling.
When in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout.
I regard the writing of humour as a supreme artistic challenge.
Write a page a day. It will add up.
The films of The Caine Mutiny and Marjorie Morningstar always seemed to me mere thin skims of the story lines, and I never did see a meagre Hollywood caper called Youngblood Hawke, vaguely based on my 800-page novel. So it was that I opted for television, with its much broader time limits, for The Winds of War.
Income tax returns are the most imaginative fiction being written today.
This life is slow suicide, unless you read.
I try to write a certain amount each day, five days a week. A rule sometimes broken is better than no rule.
I used to say that computers are useless for the creative mind – it was brain and paper, no other way. That was a rap. I found it actually does go a lot faster than scribbling.
I felt there’s a wealth in Jewish tradition, a great inheritance. I’d be a jerk not to take advantage of it.

Herman Wouk was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American author. His historical novels included The Caine Mutiny, The Winds of War, and War and Remembrance. His works championed traditional Jewish values and American patriotism.