Zoë Heller and Francine Prose take William Faulkner’s “The writer’s only responsibility is to his art” out of context: his “demons” (alternate personalities).

In their recent New York Times Book Review essays (1), Heller and Prose disregard the reason that Faulkner was ruthlessly dedicated to his writing. He experienced himself as being possessed by alternate personalities (“demons”) over whom he had no control (they chose him), and he was in anguish until he told their story:

Faulkner said, “…An artist is a creature driven by demons. He don’t know why they choose him and he’s usually too busy to wonder why…The writer’s only responsibility is to his art…He has a dream. It anguishes him so much he must get rid of it. He has no peace until then…” (2).

1. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/24/books/review/is-the-writers-only-responsibility-to-his-art.html?ref=books

2. Paris Review, Spring 1956, No. 12 http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/4954/the-art-of-fiction-no-12-william-faulkner