Taleb is an erudite and provocative writer, sometimes coming across as intellectually arrogant, though always interesting. Here he shows a healthy sign of self-deprecation which I found entertaining. He’s published a few bestsellers, but it doesn’t seem his Great Lebanese Novel has yet made it into print. Perhaps, given the humorous comment, he’s left it lying on the shelf.

And its page-per-year snail’s pace progress has given me heart that my Great Children’s Book may yet see the light of day as I managed about 30 years’ worth of pages in a few weeks.

‘I drifted a bit, with no focus, and remained on page 8 of the Great Lebanese Novel until the age of 23 (my novel was advancing at a rate of one page per year).’ 

Source: Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Commencement Address, American University in Beirut, 2016, medium.com

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