“The Dutch and the English, former competitors for world dominance, taught me the wisdom of waiting as well as withholding.” Quote by Lynne Tillman
“I learned I could be miserable anywhere in the world. I learned I really was an American.” WorldMiserable Author:Lynne Tillman
“I was fascinated by the lack of a word for a parent who has lost a child. We have no word in English. I thought for sure there'd be a word in Irish but there is none. And then I looked in several other languages and could not find one, until I found the word Sh'khol in Hebrew. I'm still not sure why so many languages don't have a word for this sort of bereavement, this shadowing.” ChildrenStillsFoundLostLanguageParentNot SureFascinatedBereavementHebrew Author:Colum McCann
“There are fewer and fewer Jews in Ireland, but we still have one of the most famous Jewish characters in literary history, of course, in Leopold Bloom.” StillsCharacterCoursesJewFewerIreland Author:Colum McCann
“I love short stories. They're like small imploding universes. They are very tightly bound and controlled. I'd been wanting to write one for ages but just got tangled up in novels. The novel is the same in the sense that it is also a universe, but it explodes outwards with all that shrapnel going in several different directions. I don't see too much difference in the forms except for the fact that writing short stories is like sprinting rather than long-distance running.” WritingLongDifferentFactsStoriesRunningAgeFormUniverseDifferencesNovelToo MuchDistanceBoundsControlledShort StoryLong DistanceTangledDifferent DirectionsShort LoveDistance RunningWriting ShortWriting Short StoriesLong Distance Running Author:Colum McCann
“Novels are more difficult simply because they are longer and require more juggling, but short stories are closer to perfection, if you can get the language right.” IfsStoriesLanguageDifficultNovelPerfectionShort StoryJuggling Author:Colum McCann
“Never for one minute am I like, 'My husband, the white man, and our biracial children.' I never think about it.” ThinkingMenChildrenWhiteMinutesHusbandMy HusbandWhite ManOne MinuteBiracial Author:Gloria Calderon Kellett
“Some of the funniest moments I've had have been like, at a funeral. Somebody says something and everyone's laughing because you have so much pain, but you need that moment of levity.” NeedsHas BeensMomentsPainLaughingThat MomentFuneralLevity Author:Gloria Calderon Kellett
“Within the framework of something very dramatic, funny things happen. Organically, from them.” HappensThings HappenDramaticFrameworkFunny Things Author:Gloria Calderon Kellett