“I was funny -- ha-ha, not peculiar. It was a modest currency, like pennies: pedestrian, somewhat laborious, but a currency nonetheless. I was funny, in public, most often at my own expense.” My OwnExpensesPeculiarCurrencyModestPenniesPedestrians Author:Claire Messud
“An abiding preoccupation for me is how much of our lives are invisible and unknown by other people like the Chekhov story The Lady With the Little Dog.” PeopleLittlesStoriesOur LivesDogInvisibleAbidingPreoccupationChekhov Author:Claire Messud
“Bore children, and they stop reading. There's no room for self-indulgence or showing off or setting the scene.” ChildrenSelfReadingRoomsSceneSettingSettingsBoresIndulgenceShowing OffSelf Indulgence Author:Mark Haddon
“To experience sublime natural beauty is to confront the total inadequacy of language to describe what you see. Words cannot convey the scale of a view that is so stunning it is felt.” LanguageFeltNaturalViewsScalesSublimeStunningInadequacy Author:Eleanor Catton
“I see disappointment as something small and aggregate rather than something unified or great. With a little effort, every failure can be turned into something good.” LittlesEffortDisappointmentUnified Author:Eleanor Catton
“Astrologys a moving system that depends on where youre looking at it from on Earth. My horoscope here in London would be completely different to down in New Zealand.” DifferentWould BeEarthMovingDependsLondonNew ZealandHoroscopes Author:Eleanor Catton
“I really wanted to write an adventure story, a murder-mystery that was set during the gold-rush years in New Zealand.” WritingYearsStoriesWantedMysteryAdventureGoldMurderNew ZealandMurder MysteriesGold Rush Author:Eleanor Catton
“I vote far-left. I am frequently angered by corporate greed and think education ought to be free and teachers paid well.” ThinkingWellsLeftTeacherOughtVotePaidGreedCorporateCorporate Greed Author:Eleanor Catton
“I think the adverb is a much-maligned part of speech. Its always accused of being oppressive, even tyrannical, when in fact its so supple and sly.” ThinkingFactsSpeechAccusedSlySuppleAdverbsParts Of Speech Author:Eleanor Catton