Quotes About Literature

Its highest point was The Worst Journey in the World. Then you see this decline, and this harking back, using the 19th-century form when we're not in the 19th century. That way of writing a book about the world out there - you just can't do it anymore.

Reading was and still is my real joy.

After the magical act accomplished by Joyce with Ulysses, perhaps we are getting away from it.

Try imagining James Joyce not writing about being a Catholic.

I read James Joyce's short story 'The Dead,' and I love that movie for many reasons. It was the last film I made with my father, and it's emotional for me as well as a movie I'm proud of.

James Joyce actually is rewarding you in all of these incredible ways.

Chuck Norris doesn't need to understand the work of James Joyce; James Joyce needs to understand the work of Chuck Norris.

I love Joyce Carol Oates. I love Margaret Atwood, T.C. Boyle. Arthur Phillips is always consistent.

If you word-spot James Joyce, you'll miss the entire experience.

One of the great joys in life is reading, yet it's the main thing people say they don't have time to do.

Judaism is in all my books.

Historical fiction is simply fiction set in the past, and should be judged as such.

I judged about a zillion awards this year so I've been reading a lot of books that just came out.

You can't judge an album by a single song; it's like judging a book by only reading a single chapter.

A lot of authors, judging by their list, will put anything out that they finish... That's the worst model I've heard of in my life. It's just idiotic. Why wouldn't you just wait for the good ones?

If you look at most women's writing, women writers will describe women differently from the way male writers describe women. The details that go into a woman writer's description of a female character are, perhaps, a little more judgmental. They're looking for certain things, because they know what women do to look a certain way.

Does everything in this life begin and end with Judy Blume? Perhaps.

Electronic books are junk.

I'm trying to read more dead people because I keep having to read stuff for juries and so forth.

We have a curious relationship with 'funny' in the U.K. We love to laugh, but we also think that making people laugh is just a little bit second-tier, especially in a literary context.

I never thought I would just be doing Arkady books.

Writing is something I want to explore. If I were to do it, I would want it to be not a book made by a YouTuber; I would really want to respect that craft of literature and just be an author.

I have so many favorite authors; I can't name just one.

My love was always in books. I was just one of those avid readers. Films came later, but the stories were always present.