Making Great Writers

I read with interest Kenneth Turan’s review of “Far and Away” (“ ‘Far’: Panoramic Period Piece,” May 22). Turan pines for the bygone days of John Ford et al., and I can’t blame him. What goes unsaid is that the writers from those halcyon days came, to a great degree, from the American theater, where plot, character development and dialogue are essential. It is unfortunate that today theater is largely ignored.

Norman Mailer once suggested that the way to judge what is art is whether you learn from it. How can we know if we won’t see it or, worse, aren’t allowed to see it?

Finding means to express oneself in a thoughtful, meaningful and passionate way is a process fraught with trial and error. This is not a reason for censure; it is a reason for fostering and listening and caring enough about your culture to go about with an open mind that is educated enough to rationally access the ideas of those around you.

We practice art without substance. If we want writers, they have to be nurtured and given the room to grow and experiment without necessarily having to be politically correct. Currently, with few exceptions, we do none of this.

TIM TONDREAULT

Los Angeles