The Making of an Evergreen Writer
Arthur Schopenhauer on what makes a writer eternal
Arthur Schopenhauer on what makes a writer immortal
The German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) was most known for his philosophical beliefs in metaphysics which built upon Immanuel Kant’s epistemological investigations.
In Essays and Aphorisms, a collection of Schopenhauer’s work, he describes what it means to be an evergreen writer.
In today's world, an evergreen writer is defined as someone who can write content that is continually relevant. Evergreen writing is not news articles or reports on the latest findings as these things will eventually lose relevancy or new reports will supersede previous ones.
An evergreen writer is one who writes about subjects and in a way that is relevant at any time — in fact, their works transcend time. Examples may be the writings of Seneca the Younger, Cicero, or even the Bible.
Schopenhauer defined three categories of writers and he used the metaphor of space to showcase each:
“Writers can be divided into meteors, planets and fixed stars.”
The separation in categories is derived from the subject matter and wisdom behind the works in which the writer creates.
The First Writer — The Meteor
The first of the three writers as metaphored by Schopenhauer is that of the Meteor. The Meteor writer’s work shines bright for a time and brings about awe and wonder.
“The first produce a momentary effect: you gaze up, cry: ‘Look!’ — and then they vanish for ever.”
As time marches on, the Meteor writer and his work, like the meteor it is metaphored after, passes over us and fades into obscurity.
This unfortunately is the majority of writing we see today.
Best selling books like Fifty Shades of Grey or The Da Vinci Code, while entertaining to mass audiences, do not hold the wisdom or longevity needed to be an evergreen product. These works are usually based around things that are entertaining to readers of the current age but are unable to transcend time because they are no longer relevant or interesting. They are, to put it bluntly, a fad that quickly passes out of sight, much like the meteor.
The Second Writer — The Fixed Planet or “Moving Star”
The Planet writer is one who taps into the zeitgeist of a generation. The individual’s voice and work is heard loud and clear. They shine bright generation after generation.
“The second, the moving stars, endure for much longer. By virtue of their proximity they often shone more brightly than the fixed stars, which the ignorant mistake them for. But they too must soon vacate their place, they shine moreover only with a borrowed light, and their sphere of influence is limited to their own fellow travellers (their contemporaries).”
While the Planet writer seems like it is the Star, time places pressure on the work and eventually forces it to fade into the background.
Catcher in the Rye, the once beloved classic about youth’s rebellion, and read throughout almost all high schools, is arguably no longer relevant to new generations. As Dana Czapnik writes for The Guardian:
“Kids who are reading to fall in love with a book no longer relate to Holden, and adult readers who appreciate the craftsmanship are too old to be struck by it emotionally.”
A book that once was said to transcend generation after generation has met its match in the form of today’s youth flocking to online sources to find their role models and vent their frustrations of their worlds. Holden Caulfield, who once epitomized a generation, no longer seems relevant to the youth who cannot relate.
With the advancements in technology and the growing age of the book, we are realizing that Catcher in the Rye, while still a beloved classic, is on the verge of no longer being the evergreen work it once was heralded to be.
The Third Writer — The Star
The third and final category of a writer to Schopenhauer is that of the star, burning bright for such extended periods of time in which the knowledge they pass down to the world is carried from generation to generation, century to century.
“The third alone are unchanging, stand firm in the firmament, shine by their own light and influence all ages equally, in that their aspect does not alter when our point of view alters since they have no parallax. Unlike the others, they do not belong to one system (nation) alone: they belong to the Universe. But it is precisely because they are so high that their light usually takes so many years to reach the eyes of dwellers on earth.”
The Star writer is one who can articulate to an audience a point that transcends time. It does this through not only its subject matter, but through the logic that lies behind it.
Today, one of the world’s best selling books is Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations. This transcends its audience of individuals interested in philosophy and has become relevant to anyone looking to grow.
Why?
Because the Meditations is written about things that transcend position, time, and place in life. It covers topics such as anger, adversity, and death. These subjects in general are evergreen subjects, but what adds praise to this piece of work is its uniqueness. It is written by a Roman Emperor (161–180 AD) and is the inner most thoughts of that individual.
Anyone who has read the Meditations quickly begins to relate to the author. They realize that even though he had money, fame, and power, he still struggled with the same struggles we ourselves face today over two thousand years later. He lost several children, he faced the Antonine Plague which killed an estimated five million people, he also was at war with neighboring countries. He was familiar with corruption, backstabbing, and the problems that stemmed from being the most powerful man in charge of the most powerful country. But regardless, he suffered from the same emotions and problems as we do today. And he wrote all of these thoughts down. They were never meant to be shared, but thankfully, for many, it was.
Conclusion
Evergreen writers connect us to the bigger themes of life. They remind us that our struggles, while unique to us in the moment, are in fact problems of life that others have experienced. We’ve all struggled with anger, we’ve all struggled with the loss of someone. These themes speak to the human condition, they speak to our fears, our frustrations, and our day-to-day lives. An evergreen writer knows how to approach these subjects and write about them in ways that last generation after generation.
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