What do you think?
Rate this book
Silence is a Four-Letter Word: On Art & Deafness
Raymond Luczak, poet, playwright, and filmmaker, hands us Silence is a Four-Letter Word, as his call to arms for deaf artists everywhere. He uses a cross-platform approach - a short story, a series of rapid-fire mini-essays, a short play, and a self-interview - to illuminate his points. His meditations on what makes art "art" and deafness "deaf" asks artists everywhere to rethink observations on their work and live differently.
201 pages, Paperback
First published July 4, 2002
27 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 22, 2023
3.5🌟
April 5, 2012
'Our hearts are the best ears we have.',
This review is from: Silence Is a Four-Letter Word: On Art & Deafness (The Tenth Anniversary Edition) (Paperback)
Raymond Luczak continues to astonish us with his inordinately fine gifts as a poet. But he has so very much more to offer to the world of those who hear, coming form an artist who has spent his life in genetic silence. SILENCE IS A FOUR-LETTER WORD: ON ART & DEAFNESS is a reprise of a work published in 2002. In these addictive brief meditations on being an artist, being deaf, and how those aspects of each of us that are 'different' is what makes us special, gifts that are to be treasured and not buried, Luczak seems to open up more freely, using the experiences of life he has gained in the past 10 years since this publication was first introduced. Luczak asks us to read these thoughts now and then re-read them later, much in the way he has challenged himself to grow into the questions he poses here.
19
I admire many great artists because they share one
thing in common: They have reinvented themselves in
their work and reinvent our 'own' perspectives of the
world in the process. Like them, I wish to reinvent
myself. I no longer want to be that gawky underweight
boy with a hearing aid harness hidden underneath
his shirt. I no longer want to be that hormone-laden
teenager falling in love with his own male classmates
and teachers from afar. I no longer want to be that
misfit who was seen as too smart by his deaf classmates
in college. I no longer want to be that frustrated worker
bee going to his dead-end job day in and day out. I want to
reinvent myself so that the real me can come out in the
sunshine and play.
41
As my love and respect for the written word continues
well into my fourth decade, I find myself becoming
much more assertive. I no longer worry whether certain
topics will offend; instead I am more concerned with
the pulse, and the craft, of my writing. At one time, I
had tried to use a pseudonym for my gay short stories,
but now I refuse to hide beyond it. Was I ashamed
of the content of my work, or did I want to be
known as I am, not as someone else?
I hope to be understood and recognized, and if
such a thing is possible, to be loved for what I do.
104
Art should elevate you and drag you down at the same
time. Which is what life usually does. Art reflects life.
In fact, for the artist, there is usually no separation
between her life and art. Life and art constantly feed
off each other. The artist is a complete synergistic
creature. The how is not as important as the what she
is trying to say.
At the end of these 139 meditations Raymond Luczak sums it up for us so well that ot paraphrase would be to rob the beauty of his mission: "I challenge all artists to find new metaphors for deafness and disability. Actually, there shouldn't be any. If the deaf character is as human as everyone else in the story, metaphors an symbolism aren't needed./ When that happens, art can be a powerful too for social change. Art is the best way to change the world as we know it. Our hearts are the best ears we have.' Welcome to Raymond Luczak's sensitive philosophy. His poems are the zenith of what he shares. He is special in os very many ways.
Grady Harp
This review is from: Silence Is a Four-Letter Word: On Art & Deafness (The Tenth Anniversary Edition) (Paperback)
Raymond Luczak continues to astonish us with his inordinately fine gifts as a poet. But he has so very much more to offer to the world of those who hear, coming form an artist who has spent his life in genetic silence. SILENCE IS A FOUR-LETTER WORD: ON ART & DEAFNESS is a reprise of a work published in 2002. In these addictive brief meditations on being an artist, being deaf, and how those aspects of each of us that are 'different' is what makes us special, gifts that are to be treasured and not buried, Luczak seems to open up more freely, using the experiences of life he has gained in the past 10 years since this publication was first introduced. Luczak asks us to read these thoughts now and then re-read them later, much in the way he has challenged himself to grow into the questions he poses here.
19
I admire many great artists because they share one
thing in common: They have reinvented themselves in
their work and reinvent our 'own' perspectives of the
world in the process. Like them, I wish to reinvent
myself. I no longer want to be that gawky underweight
boy with a hearing aid harness hidden underneath
his shirt. I no longer want to be that hormone-laden
teenager falling in love with his own male classmates
and teachers from afar. I no longer want to be that
misfit who was seen as too smart by his deaf classmates
in college. I no longer want to be that frustrated worker
bee going to his dead-end job day in and day out. I want to
reinvent myself so that the real me can come out in the
sunshine and play.
41
As my love and respect for the written word continues
well into my fourth decade, I find myself becoming
much more assertive. I no longer worry whether certain
topics will offend; instead I am more concerned with
the pulse, and the craft, of my writing. At one time, I
had tried to use a pseudonym for my gay short stories,
but now I refuse to hide beyond it. Was I ashamed
of the content of my work, or did I want to be
known as I am, not as someone else?
I hope to be understood and recognized, and if
such a thing is possible, to be loved for what I do.
104
Art should elevate you and drag you down at the same
time. Which is what life usually does. Art reflects life.
In fact, for the artist, there is usually no separation
between her life and art. Life and art constantly feed
off each other. The artist is a complete synergistic
creature. The how is not as important as the what she
is trying to say.
At the end of these 139 meditations Raymond Luczak sums it up for us so well that ot paraphrase would be to rob the beauty of his mission: "I challenge all artists to find new metaphors for deafness and disability. Actually, there shouldn't be any. If the deaf character is as human as everyone else in the story, metaphors an symbolism aren't needed./ When that happens, art can be a powerful too for social change. Art is the best way to change the world as we know it. Our hearts are the best ears we have.' Welcome to Raymond Luczak's sensitive philosophy. His poems are the zenith of what he shares. He is special in os very many ways.
Grady Harp
May 9, 2013
“Our hearts are the best ears we have.”
The final words of this book capture the essence of what Raymond Luczak is saying about art, beauty and deafness.
This book is an easy to read, but profound meditation, on appreciating art, being creative and Luczak's personal experiences of being a deaf gay writer.
There are 139 observations - some just a sentence or two, while the longest ones are a page or two. There are no complicated artistic theories to befuddle you here. Just honest and wise thoughts. Simple at times, but not simplistic. Spoken from the heart.
I found myself agreeing with the author's emphasis on the heart of the artist & the audience. I know from personal experience that when art provokes a deep emotional response in me, I am immeasurably enriched. Being clever isn't enough, though I do appreciate skill & intellect in art.
Finally, this isn't a book just for d/Deaf people, though deafness is a common theme in it. It is for anybody interested in art, being creative and alive.
The final words of this book capture the essence of what Raymond Luczak is saying about art, beauty and deafness.
This book is an easy to read, but profound meditation, on appreciating art, being creative and Luczak's personal experiences of being a deaf gay writer.
There are 139 observations - some just a sentence or two, while the longest ones are a page or two. There are no complicated artistic theories to befuddle you here. Just honest and wise thoughts. Simple at times, but not simplistic. Spoken from the heart.
I found myself agreeing with the author's emphasis on the heart of the artist & the audience. I know from personal experience that when art provokes a deep emotional response in me, I am immeasurably enriched. Being clever isn't enough, though I do appreciate skill & intellect in art.
Finally, this isn't a book just for d/Deaf people, though deafness is a common theme in it. It is for anybody interested in art, being creative and alive.
October 6, 2014
Wonderful, inspiring little vignettes for artists of all walks. Especially if you feel downtrodden, made into a minority, or otherwise discouraged by art-making, I recommend reading this.(Also a really neat look into the finer nuances of deaf culture.)
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews