31 Colm Toibin Quotes for You to Enjoy

Colm Toibin

Irish Novelist

Born: May 30, 1955

First People Think Time Writing You

Related authors: Elizabeth Bowen Frank Delaney George A. Moore James Joyce John Banville Laurence Sterne Maeve Binchy Robert Graves

I live in words. I like looking at things, but I don't have a strong visual imagination. Colm Toibin

Words Strong Looking Live Imagination Visual Like Things

I have to write a first draft with a fountain pen before I type it up as a second. Colm Toibin

First Before Type Pen Write Up Fountain Fountain Pen Second Draft

The Roman Catholic Church and its rituals were so much part of life that, although my parents would often question a small matter of dogma and none of us seemed more religious than anyone else, no one ever questioned the rituals or the basic tenets of belief. Colm Toibin

Life Matter Church Parents Else Would Religious Seemed More Small Rituals No-One Part Catholic Catholic Church Although None Dogma Were Question Questioned Than Often Roman Roman Catholic Roman Catholic Church Anyone Anyone Else Us Much Belief Ever Basic

You create a world away from home and make new rooms for yourself. But when you arrive back home in your old rooms, the world you've made for yourself ceases to be real. Everything seems to crumble. Anyone who's been sent away to boarding school can understand that. Colm Toibin

Home You Yourself World School Old Made Back Everything Be Real Seems Crumble New Make Understand Real Arrive Been Ceases Anyone Boarding Boarding School Sent Rooms Create Your Away

The best thing about New York is working late into the night. At 1 in the morning on a Saturday, to be still working, there's an immense satisfaction in being enclosed by it. Colm Toibin

Best Morning Late Immense About New Still Enclosed York New York Being Working Satisfaction Saturday Thing Night

I still have a stammer that I can control by not opening a sentence with a hard consonant, or by concentrating for a moment, breathing softly down. Growing up, the 'Our Father' was lovely, made for me, the 'Hail Mary' was gorgeous, and 'Glory Be to the Father' was an absolute nightmare. Colm Toibin

Me Gorgeous Father Made Control Down Softly Our Our Father Absolute Mary Hail Opening Concentrating Glory Still Up Lovely Sentence Breathing Stammer Hard Moment Growing Growing Up Nightmare

I went to live in Barcelona in 1975, when I was twenty. Even before I went there, I knew more about the Spanish Civil War than I did about the Irish Civil War. I liked Barcelona, and then I grew to like a place in the Catalan Pyrenees called the Pillars, especially an area between the village of Flavors and the high mountains around it. Colm Toibin

War Before Mountains Live High Civil About Civil War More Area Knew Between Like Liked Around Pillars Irish Than Did Grew Place Spanish Flavors Then Barcelona Even Village Twenty

In my 20s, as I began to travel in Europe, I found comfort in religious paintings. Even though my own belief in Catholic dogma had been shaken and weakened, I found that the beauty and the richness of the art still held me. Colm Toibin

Art Me Travel Beauty Own Though Weakened Religious Shaken My Own Had Catholic Comfort Dogma Still Been Began Held Richness Europe Paintings Even Belief Found

In Ireland, novels and plays still have a strange force. The writing of fiction and the creation of theatrical images can affect life there more powerfully and stealthily than speeches, or even legislation. Imagined worlds can lodge deeply in the private sphere, dislodging much else, especially when the public sphere is fragile. Colm Toibin

Life Strange Writing Creation Worlds Else Sphere Lodge More Force Still Private Affect Ireland Than Legislation Fiction Theatrical Public Much Even Novels Deeply Images Fragile Imagined Plays Speeches

All writing is a form of manipulation, of course, but you realize that a plain sentence can actually do so much. Colm Toibin

You Writing Course Form Plain Manipulation Sentence Realize Much Actually

Between the time I was 16 until I was about 20, the books I read were by people like Thomas Mann, James Baldwin, Thom Gunn, Elizabeth Bishop. All gay, of course, although I swear I didn't know that at the time. Yet all of them, it turned out, had had a parent who died during their childhood. Sexuality is nothing compared to that. Colm Toibin

Time Gay People Nothing Thom Thomas Books Bishop Out Sexuality About Parent Had Between Like Know Until Read Course Although Were Died Childhood James Them Swear Turned Who Compared Elizabeth

Solitude is good in the evening. Dublin is a quiet city when you get to a certain age, when your friends settle down and have kids. Nothing much happens here. Colm Toibin

My first novel was turned down by about twenty publishers over a period of two and a half years. Because my name is Irish and would not be familiar to English editors, one of them said: 'If she writes anything else, do let us know.' Slowly, very slowly, the books began to sell and be noticed. Colm Toibin

First Half Down Else Books Would Slowly About Writes Over Name Know Period Half Years She Because Said Editors Years Sell Began Very Familiar Irish Anything Anything Else Them Turned Us Noticed English Novel Twenty Let Us Publishers Two

I think that was one of the things that happened, especially in Ireland, that you left in order to improve yourself, and you couldn't write home and tell people, 'Look, I'm really lonely,' because you'd realize how much those letters were going to matter, that you needed to put good news or uplifting news into them. Colm Toibin

Good Home News You Yourself People Matter Good News Lonely Think Those Tell One Of The Things Write Put Look Because How How Much Were Left Ireland Improve Uplifting Going Order Happened Them Realize Much Really Letters Things Needed

I think the whole business of people emigrating was that no one ever told them, although everyone knew, especially if it was to the United States, that it was forever, and the party before you left was called an 'American wake,' in the sense that they knew you wouldn't come back. Colm Toibin

You Business People Party Before Sense Think Back Everyone States No-One Knew Come Although Wake Left Forever American Them Whole United Ever United States

I did think of becoming a priest quite late on, when other boys were thinking of knocking over fences and going out with girls. I would have made a very good bishop: nice housekeeper, nice clothes - god, the clothes. Colm Toibin

God Good Made Girl Clothes Nice Think Thinking Other Late Bishop Out Would Priest Over Knocking Housekeeper Boy Becoming Fences Were Very Did Going Quite

I was first in Sydney in 1993, and have been a few times since then. For someone who didn't know Australia, it came as a shock how intelligent, interesting and funny the people were. If I lived there I might see it differently, but as a visitor it was a lot of fun. Colm Toibin

Funny People First Few Visitor See Someone Since Know How Came Were Been Lot Australia Shock Intelligent Times Interesting Might Then Who Fun Lived Differently Sydney

The next time I write a play - in order to get audience trust for a particular sort of tragic line, I'll try to bring the audience a good distance before that. Part of that is allowing comic moments to occur. I had been afraid of that - that once the audience started laughing in the play, they would never stop. Colm Toibin

Time Good Trust Try Before Distance Once Laughing Would Write Never Had Allowing Part Never Stop Particular Sort Audience Comic Occur Line Been Tragic Get Stop Afraid Order Next Next Time Moments Play Bring Started

I write with a sort of grim determination to deal with things that are hidden and difficult, and this means, I think, that pleasure is out of the question. I would associate this with narcissism anyway, and I would disapprove of it. Colm Toibin

Determination Narcissism Difficult Think Pleasure Hidden Out Would Write Disapprove Sort Deal Question Anyway Grim Means Things Associate

I don't think we have a right to enjoy our neuroses; in fact, I believe that we have a duty not to. But we cannot walk away from ourselves. Who else is there to become? Colm Toibin

Walk Become Duty Believe Enjoy Think Else Our We Cannot Ourselves Fact Neuroses In Fact Cannot Who Away Right

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