Date: Wed, 26 Feb 1997 22:26:37 +0100 (MET)
Subject: Re: M-G: monkey writer


Hello Roberto,

Are you certain that this was a Marx-Engels quote?
I remember reading something similar, but it was by
sience fiction writer George Gamow, in the 1950:s or
something, who pointed out that if letters were typed
by random during a sufficiently long time - by monkeys,
for instance, just as an example - eventually, all
literature ever written by mankind would turn up,
including all sonets by Shakespeare etc etc. Marx or
somebody might have pointed to this fact too, for all
I know, but I on my part at least don't remember having
read that anywhere in the M-E writings.

Rolf M.


>Dear friends:
>
>I am working on an essay on evolution and am trying to find a quote
>attributed to Marx or Engels in which they state that even a monkey could
>write a book if given enough time in front of a typewriter, or something
>similar to this.
>
>Can anyone help me to locate the quote?
>
>Thanks very much.
>
>Roberto N. Mendez,
>P.O. Box 87-1485, Panama 7, PANAMA.
>Tel. (507) 231-8359, Fax (507) 231-8387.
>
>
>
>
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