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Quote by Annie Proulx

Work

The Shipping News

The narrative follows Quoyle, a failed journalist whose marriage ended in his wife's death, as he relocates from New York to the remote coastal community of Killick-Claw in Newfoundland. There he takes a position reporting on shipping news for the local Gammy Bird newspaper, a publication known for its eccentric coverage of car wrecks and sexual abuse cases alongside maritime traffic. The novel explores themes of family inheritance, community belonging, and personal transformation against the harsh backdrop of Atlantic Canada. The protagonist gradually adapts to the distinctive local culture, forms new relationships, and confronts the violent history embedded in his family name. The prose style incorporates elements of Newfoundland dialect and folklore, with chapter headings drawn from a mariner's handbook. The work received significant literary recognition including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award. more

Author

Annie Proulx
Annie Proulx

Annie Proulx, born on August 22, 1935, is an American journalist and novelist known for her distinctive narrative style and profound portrayals of life in the American West. more

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“Mom always says all sorts of shit goes down in the world, and it’s up to me to decide how to take it. The one way you’re sure to be unhappy is to frown your way through life, she says, and she’s right. Always look for the bright, vibrant color through the darkness. It’s always there, but sometimes hard to see.”

“There is a certain quality of light to be found only in midsummer in the South, as day, slipping into dusk, acquiesces to the filament, the bulb, the porch light; this seductive light is beautiful when it washes across dry cement, the sidewalk and stoop. The light spilling from the phone booth softens and cleanses all that it touches. It's a forgiving and almost protective light. The Minotaur is drawn to it from across the parking lot.”

“Writers don't make any money at all. We make about a dollar. It is terrible. But then again we don't work either. We sit around in our underwear until noon then go downstairs and make coffee, fry some eggs, read the paper, read part of a book, smell the book, wonder if perhaps we ourselves should work on our book, smell the book again, throw the book across the room because we are quite jealous that any other person wrote a book, feel terribly guilty about throwing the schmuck's book across the room because we secretly wonder if God in heaven noticed our evil jealousy, or worse, our laziness. We then lie across the couch facedown and mumble to God to forgive us because we are secretly afraid He is going to dry up all our words because we envied another man's stupid words. And for this, as I said, we are paid a dollar. We are worth so much more.”