May you live in interesting times
 | This article possibly contains original research. (September 2007) |
May you live in interesting times is the English translation of an ancient Chinese proverb and curse. However, many people have searched for the original Chinese language version and have not been able to determine its origin. This has led to some doubting its authenticity. It has been attributed to various American speakers, though research is continuing into the phrase's first appearance. It dates back to at least 1950, when the April issue of Astounding Science Fiction included the saying in one of the magazine's stories. The story was penned by Eric Frank Russell under the name Duncan H. Munro. It is currently unknown if Russell created the phrase himself or heard it from somewhere else. The saying has also been attributed to the fictional Chinese storyteller Kai Lung invented by the Edwardian, English author Ernest Bramah, though this too has yet to be documented. It is reported that it was the first of three curses of increasing severity, the other two being:
- May you come to the attention of those in authority
- May you find what you are looking for
Other sources contend that it may be related to the Chinese proverb, It's better to be a dog in a peaceful time than be a man in a chaotic period.
It is often argued that the word interesting is meant to be a synonym for turbulent or dangerous, while others suggest that no such similarity is necessary for the statement to be imposing. However, both these analyses miss the essential irony of the saying. It is worth taking into account the value Confucianism places on stability and constancy.
The saying inspired the title of Terry Pratchett's 1994 Discworld novel Interesting Times and the autobiography of the historian Eric Hobsbawm with the same title. The saying may also be found in Dean Koontz's 1996 novel Tick Tock, and was part of a speech delivered by Bob Garvin (Donald Sutherland) near the end of the 1994 film Disclosure. It is also the name of writer George Packer's New Yorker Blog, which focuses on the Iraq war and other political issues.
The saying was probably most famously evoked in (and therefore popularized by) Robert F. Kennedy's Day of Affirmation Address in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1966.
References
- Stephen E. DeLong (May 5, 1998). Get a(n interesting) life! Accessed February 13, 2004.
- Origin of Phrase: May You Live In Interesting Times
- Robert F. Kennedy's Day of Affirmation Address, Cape Town, South Africa Accessed June 1, 2006.