Wednesday, July 1, 2009

CANETTI SAID IT (supposedly)

I'm attempting to source the following quote attributed to Elias Canetti:

"Happiness is that ridiculous life goal of illiterates."

More than one movie reviewer quoted it in reviews of Mike Leigh's recent Happy Go Lucky, but none of them bothered to note the source.

UPDATE 11/19/11: The line is from Canetti's novel Die Blendung (English title: Auto Da Fe). The complete sentence reads: “Almost Kien was tempted to believe in happiness, that contemptible life-goal of illiterates. If it came of itself, without being hunted for, if you did not hold it fast by force and treated it with a certain condescension, it was permissible to endure its presence for a few days.” 

Thanks Natalie.

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