Bernard Malamud, who died two years ago last Friday, gave this talk at Bennington College on Oct. 30, 1984, as part of the Ben Belitt Lectureship Series. A longer version of his remarks was printed last year in The Michigan Quarterly.

I Intend to say something about my life as a writer. Since I shan't go into a formal replay of the life, this will read more like a selective short memoir.

The beginning was slow, and perhaps not quite a beginning. Some beginnings promise a start that may take years to induce a commencement. Before the first word strikes the page, or the first decent idea occurs, there is the complicated matter of breaking the silence. Some throw up before they can breathe. Not all can run to the door at the knock of announcement - granted one hears it. Not all know what it means. Simply, not always is the gift of talent given free and clear. Some who are marvelously passionate to write may have to spend half their lives learning what their proper subject......

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Title: Long Work, Short Life
Approximate Word Count: 3742
Approximate Pages: 15 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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