Was Cela's work too pessimistic or violent?
Pessimistic? Violent? I call it realistic. Life itself is often pessimistic, a long procession of disappointments and indignities. And violence? It’s a part of the human animal, just like breathing or eating. To ignore it, to pretend it doesn’t exist, that's the real dishonesty. My job is to observe and record, not to sanitize. If the reader finds my work disturbing, it’s because the reality I portray is disturbing. I don't invent horrors; I find them in the alleys, in the hearts of men. Sentimentality is a disease, and I refuse to prescribe it. I prefer the sharp sting of truth to the dull comfort of illusion.
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