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About this quote

What does it mean?
Spillane highlights his high translation count but notes the others are deceased, implying a mix of pride and mortality.
In plain terms
He is one of the most translated writers alive because the others on the list are dead.
What can you take from it?
Survival can skew comparative metrics.

Where it applies

  • claiming status
  • listing achievements
  • discussing fame

Putting it to work

  • check facts
  • verify lists
  • contextualize stats

Questions to consider

  • Does death affect translation relevance?
  • Is being alive a metric for success?

Another view

Being the most translated living writer is different from being the most translated overall.

More from Mickey Spillane

  1. Hemingway hated me. I outsell him and he was steamed. One day he wrote a story for Bluebook berating me. So I'm going on a big TV show in Chicago and I don't g…

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  2. I don't research anything. If I need something, I'll invent it.

    Permalink to quote #50

  3. Hemingway hated me. I sold 200 million books, and he didn't. Of course most of mine sold for 25 cents, but still... you look at all this stuff with a grain of …

    Permalink to quote #47

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