Do writers write philosophical essays?

Question

I'm son to two philosophers, and maybe this shaped too much my way of understanding the world. I think a lot, or maybe thinking means a lot to me. And, mainly, I think about art questions and art philosophy. I was educated in this way I now abhor, rationalising everything so I can make living things thinkable, philosophical, conceptual.The problem is, I want to write fiction. And maybe nothing is farther from fiction than philosophy, which is trying to enlighten the world instead of maintaining the mystery where fiction and life dwell. I feel this way, but I am practically unable to write fiction since everything I write feels too philosophical or can be criticised in philosophical categories by me. Lots of artists like Artaud, Brecht, or Pirandello have extensive work on philosophical questions which gave birth to lots of essays. So I don't get why I shouldn't be able to write fiction if they did both write philosophy and literature. But the doubt stands because I can't get to write something that really satisfies me.My question is: Is there any hope I will be able to write fiction?

Answer 1

I think your propensity for philosophy makes you more inclined to write good fiction than you may suspect. Since you mentioned him, I'll use Pirandello as an example: Pirandello had a very specific perception of what reality and identity are and expressed his views on such things through the use of stories that were culturally and historically relevant. He created realistic, plausible scenarios and characters that lived and experienced situations in which the theories he posited could be demonstrated and/or tested. For example, in Così è (se vi pare), the whole play challenges the idea of a finite reality and/or identity, and the spectator can see this from the characters' confusion and the confusion they feel themselves. Pirandello plays with the audience's common misconception that reality and identity are fixed and definite, and uses it to introduce his philosophy by presenting a character that has a valid argument that challenges the common view of these concepts. And thus a philosophical debate ensues not just on stage, but also in each audience member's mind. He does this in his books as well, like Uno, nessuno e centomila, but introduces the challenging concept at the beginning and fictionalizes the development of that idea. What I'm trying to say is if you want to combine philosophy and fiction, that's not just possible, that's the essence of the best pieces of fiction ever written. Connect your philosophical argument to a culturally relevant/relatable story and use your characters as the agents for developing the philosophical debate instead of writing it explicitly. Fictionalize the process that helped you develop your philosophical ideas.