Colson Whitehead Quotes

Colson Whitehead
Colson Whitehead
American Novelist
Born: 1969
About Always Book Me People You
Related authors: Elie Wiesel Ernest Hemingway H. P. Lovecraft James Baldwin John Updike Leo Rosten Nathaniel Hawthorne Richard Bach
I'm just trying to keep things rich for me creatively and for the readers who follow me. Colson Whitehead
Me Rich Follow Readers Trying Just Who Creatively Keep Things
Early on my career, I figured out that I just have to write the book I have to write at that moment. Whatever else is going on in the culture is just not that important. If you could get the culture to write your book, that would be great. But the culture can't write your book. Colson Whitehead
Great You Culture Book Important Whatever Else Out Would Would-Be Could Write Get Going Just Your Figured Moment Early Career
'Sag Harbor' was a very different book for me. It changed the way I thought about books that I wanted to do. Colson Whitehead
Me Book Thought Changed Books Way About Very Different Wanted Harbor
A lot of my writer friends live near me, and that makes people think we just hang around with one another in cafes, trading work and discussing 'Harper's' and what not. But I rarely see them. We're home working. Colson Whitehead
Work Home Me People Live Think See Rarely Writer Another Around Makes Trading Lot Friends Discussing Hang Just Them Working Near
I didn't know I was a zombie pedant until I started considering what from the zombie canon to keep in 'Zone One' and what to ignore. Colson Whitehead
Considering Know Until Canon Ignore Keep Zombie Started Zone
Monsters are a storytelling tool, like domestic realism and close third. Colson Whitehead
Tool Monsters Like Domestic Close Realism Storytelling Third
In college, I wrote maybe three short stories. Colson Whitehead
College Three Wrote Maybe Short Stories Short Stories
There's not a lot of good TV. Colson Whitehead
Good TV Lot
In America, when you hear about the Underground Railroad, it's so evocative. You think it's a literal subway for a few minutes before your teacher goes on and describes where it actually was. Colson Whitehead
Teacher You Before Few Think Evocative Minutes About Underground Hear America Goes Where Literal Subway Your Railroad Actually
I use New York to talk about home, but the ideas in 'Colossus' could be transferred to other cities. The story about Central Park is really about the first day of spring in any park. The Coney Island chapter is really about beaches and summer and heat waves. Colson Whitehead
Day Home Chapter First Spring Other Summer Waves Cities About Beaches Park Could New Ideas Talk Island York Heat Any New York Transferred Story Central Central Park Really Use
I love getting out of the Q train at Union Square. It's such a mix of people, like a party. There's always an errand you can do along there, whether it's picking up contacts or buying poker chips. Colson Whitehead
Love You People Party Out Picking Contacts Poker Along Like Always Mix Errand Up Train Square Getting Whether Chips Union Buying
In 'John Henry Days,' I was taking my idea of junketeering and sort of blowing it up to absurd extremes. Colson Whitehead
Extremes John Taking Absurd Idea Days Sort Up Blowing Henry
'John Henry Days' was already half in the can before my first book came out, so I'd already started something that was big and sprawling - I just had to finish it. Colson Whitehead
Book First Half Big Before Out John Something Finish Had Days Sprawling Came Just Henry Started
I envied kids who played soccer and football, but that was not my gig. Colson Whitehead
Kids Gig Football Envied Soccer Who Played
Usually, when I write a novel, it takes me about 100 pages to figure out the voice of the narrator. Colson Whitehead
Me Out About Voice Write Takes Narrator Pages Figure Novel
I am not sure the issue of race in America will ever be completely solved. Colson Whitehead
Will Solved Sure Am Issue America Race Ever
I like questions that tee me up to make weird jokes, frankly. Colson Whitehead
Me Jokes Frankly Weird Like Make Questions Up Tee
There are good writers and bad writers. It's hard to find writers who really speak to you, but the work is out there. Colson Whitehead
Work Good You Speak Out Bad Find Writers Really Hard Who
I admire Vegas's purity, its entirely wholesome artificiality. Colson Whitehead
Admire Entirely Purity Vegas Wholesome
I enjoy thinking about how race plays out over the centuries, how technology evolves, how cities transform themselves. These subjects are present in some of my books and absent in others. Colson Whitehead
Technology Enjoy Thinking Others Books Out Cities Some About Absent Over How Subjects Transform Race Centuries Themselves Present Plays
I knew that a zombie book would not particularly appeal to some of my previous readers, but it was artistically compelling, and being able to do a short nonfiction book about poker was really fun and great. Colson Whitehead
Great Book Would Able Some About Previous Knew Poker Particularly Readers Nonfiction Short Being Really Appeal Fun Compelling Zombie
Growing up as a product of the black civil-rights movement, I had a lot of different models for black weirdness, whether it's Richard Pryor or James Baldwin or Jimmy Walker. Colson Whitehead
Black Jimmy Had Weirdness Lot Up Walker Models Pryor Movement Different James Whether Richard Richard Pryor Product Growing Growing Up
In fifth grade, we did 10 minutes on slavery and 40 minutes on Abraham Lincoln, and in 10th grade you might do 10 minutes on the civil rights era and 40 minutes on Martin Luther King, and that's it. Colson Whitehead
You Rights King Civil Minutes Civil Rights Martin Martin Luther Martin Luther King Abraham Abraham Lincoln Era Lincoln Did Grade Might Fifth Slavery Luther
'Zone One' has one kind of an apocalypse, and 'The Underground Railroad' another. In both cases, the narrators are animated by a hope in a better place of refuge - in the last surviving human outpost, Up North. Does it exist? They can only believe. Colson Whitehead
Hope Better Believe Kind Cases Only Both Better Place Animated Underground Another Does Exist Up North Surviving Refuge Human Place Apocalypse Railroad Last Zone
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