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Emma Donoghue

Emma Donoghue Quotes

Playwright

Emma Donoghue is an Irish-Canadian author renowned for her plays and novels. Her works are celebrated for their deep psychological insights and unique narrative style. Born on October 24, 1969, Donoghue's plays have been performed in several countries, and her novels have been translated into multiple languages.

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All Book Knows Writing Thinking Way People Rooms Stories Film Ifs World Novel Parent Sometimes Want Littles Situation Wells Bits Kids

Famous Emma Donoghue Quotes

“Seriously, I think what all the puzzling over parenthood I had to do to write [a novel] ROOM taught me is that children can thrive in a remarkable range of situations.”

Thinking Writing Children Rooms Situation Novel Taught Range Thrive Remarkable Parenthood Puzzling

Author:Emma Donoghue

“I think sometimes the way to preserve the magic of a book is to throw it away - meaning, not to cling to the way a book does its magic but to find a cinematic equivalent.”

Thinking Way Doe Book Sometimes Magic Preserves Cinematic

Author:Emma Donoghue

“I think ultimately the film 'Room' is a kind of hymn to motherhood and to the everyday heroism of parents who find their smiles in terrible times.”

Thinking Kind Film Parent Rooms Terrible Everyday Motherhood Heroism Hymns Terrible Times

Author:Emma Donoghue

“I needed to do a lot of saying no. I had a lot of [interest] from people who I just didn't think were quite right for it. And I didn't want a bad film to be made of the book, either a sentimental one or a creepy one, so I did a lot of, "No thank you." Then when the right filmmaker came along, yes, I suppose I presented myself very much as wanting to be the writer.”

People Thinking Want Made Book Film Interest Needed Filmmaker Sentimental Creepy Saying No

Author:Emma Donoghue

“Something we do know is that review coverage does go to male authors more than women authors. That's a fact. I think it's one of those examples of unconscious bias: If you hire a lot of male journalists, they're more likely to pick up the latest Ian McEwan novel than the latest A.S. Byatt novel.”

Ifs Thinking Knows Doe Facts Novel Example Picks Males Journalist Unconscious Reviews Bias Coverage

Author:Emma Donoghue

“I say "on principle" [regarding 'lesbian writer'] because whenever you get one of your minority labels applied, like "Irish Writer," "Canadian Writer," "Woman Writer," "Lesbian Writer" - any of those categories - you always slightly wince because you're afraid that people will think that means you're only going to write about Canada or Ireland, you know.”

People Thinking Knows Writing Mean Principles Labels Canada Minorities Categories Ireland Wince Irish Writers

Author:Emma Donoghue

“I must say, in the case of "Room," both the book and the film, I don't think being a lesbian author held me back at all.”

Thinking Book Film Rooms Cases

Author:Emma Donoghue

“I think I know what it's like to have a family that the outside world sees as peculiar or lacking.”

Thinking Knows World Peculiar Lacking Outside World

Author:Emma Donoghue

“I think I read Susan Brownmiller's classic book called "Femininity" when I was about 16. So yeah, it's been part of my mindset since a very early age. To me, what's crucial is to tell women's stories but also to tell them in a way that is fearless.”

Thinking Way Book Stories Age Yeah Mindset Fearless Classic Crucial Femininity Classic Book

Author:Emma Donoghue

“I actually tried to think of the story [Room] in gender-neutral terms at first and said to myself, "OK, would this work if it were a man?" Well no, you can't make a man pregnant, so it's got to be a woman.”

Ifs Thinking Men Firsts Wells Said Stories Term Rooms Gender Pregnant

Author:Emma Donoghue

“I think there are few films out there that take motherhood seriously.”

Thinking Film Motherhood

Author:Emma Donoghue

“I'm very keen. Adaptations of other people's work, too. I got fascinated by the adaptation process, so I think that'd be a really interesting task. I would happily write original screenplays as well. I think it's become one of my favorite genres.”

People Thinking Writing Wells Process Interesting Tasks Originals My Favorite Genre Fascinated Adaptation Really Interesting Screenplays

Author:Emma Donoghue

“Sometimes, I think there's a lack of ambition in me. But then sometimes, I think, no, you can, like William Blake said, you know, see heaven in a grain of sand. If you look really, really closely at a situation, you can find almost endless interest in it.”

Ifs Thinking Knows Looks Said Sometimes Heaven Interest Situation Ambition Endless Sand Grain Blake Grains Of Sand Lack Of Ambition

Author:Emma Donoghue

“I think about Old Nick carrying me into the truck, I'm dizzy like I'm going to fall down. "Scared is what you're feeling," says Ma, "but brave is what you're doing." "Huh?" "Scaredybrave." "Scave." Word sandwiches always make her laugh but I wasn't being funny.”

Thinking Feelings Fall Laughing Brave Scared Truck Falling Down Sandwiches Dizzy Being Funny

Book:Room: Picador Classic

Source: Room: Picador Classic

“When I tell her what I’m thinking and she tells me what she’s thinking, our each ideas jumping into the other’s head, like coulouring blue crayon on top of yellow that makes green.”

Thinking Ideas Blue Green Yellow Jumping Crayon

Book:Room: Picador Classic

Source: Room: Picador Classic

“...real loneliness is having no one to miss. Think yourself lucky you've known something worth missing.”

Thinking Real Known Missing Loneliness Lucky Lucky You

Book:Hood

Source: Hood

“Every parent has those moments where they look at their child and think, 'There's a demon in those eyes and no one can see it but me!”

Thinking Looks Children Moments Eye Parent Demon

Author:Emma Donoghue

“I think it would be a shame for any writer to let their publishers in any way corral them into a single genre.”

Thinking Way Would Be Shame Genre Publishers

Author:Emma Donoghue

About the Author

Born: October 24, 1969
Known for: Playwright
Quotes: 155

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Room: Picador ClassicRelated source material

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