11 Michael Winter Quotes for You to Enjoy

Michael Winter

Canadian Writer

Born: 1965

Life Me War World Writing You

Related authors: Alice Munro Charles de Lint Gavin McInnes Kelley Armstrong Laurence J. Peter Nathan Fielder Robert J. Sawyer Stephanie Savage

When you join the army, you are asked to lay down your life for your country. That is a tremendous oath to take. In return, a good country should offer that soldier every possible means it can to allow that soldier to stay alive and, upon return, healthy - both mentally and physically. Michael Winter

Life Good You Army Country Healthy Down Every Tremendous Soldier Alive Possible Oath Stay Physically Both Lay Mentally Join Take Allow Return Offer Asked Should Means Your

We found letters at the house we bought from a sailor to his wife who lived in the house. He went down to the Caribbean on this trader vessel, bringing down salted fish. There would be handwritten letters, but also telegrams, saying which ports he was in. And he'd be gone for three months. That was just the way it is. Michael Winter

Saying Wife Three Gone Down Caribbean Telegram Way Months Would Would-Be He Bought House Also Sailor Trader Fish His Vessel Just Which Who Lived Found Letters Bringing Ports

A few years ago, I was trying to buy a piece of land next to a house I had in Newfoundland. I discovered that the plot had been owned by a family, and the son had gone off to World War I and been killed. It began to interest me: What would have happened on that land if the son had lived, had brought up his own family there? Michael Winter

War Buy Family Me Son World Few Own Gone Plot Would Brought Had Piece House Been His Years Discovered Years Ago Off Began Up Trying Owned Happened Interest Land Next Lived World War World War I

There are scenes from books I'm happy with. I tend to think my books are all broken. But then my favourite reads are almost always books that don't, in the end, pull off what they set out to do. Michael Winter

Broken Happy Think Books Out Favourite Scenes Tend Almost Reads Always Off End In The End Then Pull Set

How does the past ambush us? How can we be accurate about what happened, how can we be true to it? And can war be declared over? And can we ever evolve from the notion of war, of nations, of us versus them? Michael Winter

War Be True Past Evolve About True Over Does How Versus Accurate Nations Happened Them Us Notion Ever

I approached writing a story for the CBC Literary Awards as a mercenary venture - $5,000 for one story, not bad. Now, how do you win it? Jurors are wading through skyscrapers of paper, looking for one story that stands out. Michael Winter

You Writing Win Looking Paper Out Bad Through Mercenary Venture How Literary Story Stands Skyscrapers Awards Now

Through an arbitrary problem, I had arrived at a tenet of good writing: brevity wins. Michael Winter

Good Writing Problem Arbitrary Wins Through Had Good Writing Arrived Brevity

I've grown up, luckily, with only a distant relationship to war and soldiering. Michael Winter

War Relationship Distant Only Up Luckily Grown Grown-Up

Beaumont-Hamel sits within a thousand acres of French agriculture. The trenches are under this blanket of grass. In the 1920s, a park was established here and trees from Newfoundland imported to encircle the battlefield so you get the feeling of being within a copse of woods. Michael Winter

I didn't like filtering the story through me, saying, 'Reader, you'll be safe with me. While it gets a little dangerous, it'll be okay because, after all, you're with me, because I'm a warm convivial voice. But let's be entertained by this horrible stuff.' I didn't like that. Michael Winter

Michael Winter Quotes

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