401 Literary Quotes for You to Enjoy

My literary heroes all wrote about L.A.: Joseph Wambaugh, Ross Macdonald, and Raymond Chandler were the three writers that made me want to be a writer. Michael Connelly

Me Heroes Made Three Macdonald About Writer Writers Joseph Raymond Wrote Were Want Literary

I think it's pretty apparent who my favorites are because I keep coming back to them. At the top of that list would be Harry Bosch, who's now going on 20 years of literary life. I still like him the best because there's still a lot to say about him. Michael Connelly

Life Best Think Back Top Harry Say Would Would-Be Favorites Pretty About Like Him Because Still Coming Years Lot List Going Literary Them Apparent Who Keep Now

I thought I would write non-fiction. I thought I would enter the New York literary scene as copy editor, work my way up, and then write my own books. Michael Gruber

Work Thought Own Books Way Enter Would My Own Scene Write New Non-Fiction Editor Up York New York Literary Then Copy

I always thought of myself as a kind of literary bureaucrat. And that was never going to be enough for me. Michael Korda

Myself Me Thought Enough Kind Never Always Bureaucrat Going Literary

The idea of a pseudonym had been flitting around my brain for a long time, along with its cognate, disappearance. In the 1980s, I published some poems under a pen name in a literary magazine to see what it would feel like. It was fun. It was even a little thrilling. Michael Redhill

Time Long Long Time Pen Would See Magazine Some Poems Thrilling Had Disappearance Idea Feel Name Along Like Around Been Brain Pseudonym Literary Little Fun Even Flitting Published

Anthologizing is a dusty sport, half antique hunting and half literary gossip fest, and I love it. Michael Sims

Love Gossip Half Hunting Sport Antique Dusty Literary

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

Literary novelists who have a strong handle on plot are often characterized as good vacation reads because they manage to transport you elsewhere, away from the petty facts of ordinary life. Michelle Dean

A certain kind of person in America loves to note that they're currently soldiering through the latest Pulitzer winner for history, in particular. It connotes a certain gravitas, a connectedness to the literary and intellectual scene that most upwardly mobile professionals in America still desire. Michelle Dean

Indeed, 'The Second Plane' is such a weak, risible, and often objectionable volume that the reader finishes it convinced that Mr. Amis should stick to writing fiction and literary criticism, as he's thoroughly discredited himself with these essays as any sort of political or social commentator. Michiko Kakutani

Writing Political Criticism Indeed Thoroughly Weak Objectionable Finishes Volume He Himself Reader Sort Stick Commentator Essays Any Often Fiction Literary Literary Criticism Social Plane Convinced Should Second

In writing literary fiction, you are trying to help yourself. And readers are going to literary fiction not just to be entertained, but because they feel something else will happen; that the experience will take them beyond themselves and show them something they haven't seen before. Mohsin Hamid

You Experience Yourself Writing Will Seen Before Else Entertained Something Something Else Take Feel Beyond Readers Because Trying Going Just Fiction Happen Literary Literary Fiction Them Themselves Show Help

Pu La was like a father figure to people of my generation. I thank him for the characters his literary works offered us. They personify full-fledged human beings and have always given me company. Nana Patekar

Me Generation People Father Father Figure Characters My Generation Given Like Him Always His La Offered Thank Human Human Beings Literary Us Figure Works Beings Company

I guess I'm drawn to artists and literary people and want to learn about them. Nancy Horan

People Guess Drawn About Learn Artists Want Literary Them

In general, fiction is divided into 'literary fiction' and 'commercial fiction.' Nobody can definitively say what separates one from the other, but that doesn't stop everybody (including me) from trying. Your book probably will be perceived as one or the other, and that will affect how it is read, packaged and marketed. Nancy Kress

Me Book Will Other Everybody Say Perceived General Divided Nobody Read How Affect Commercial Trying Stop Fiction Literary Literary Fiction Packaged Separates Your Including

I wouldn't call myself a 'literary critic,' just a book reviewer. Neel Mukherjee

Myself Book Critic Call Reviewer Just Literary

The mainstream of literary culture in the U.K. is very averse to writing about technology. Nick Harkaway

Technology Culture Writing About Mainstream Very Literary Averse

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. Nick Harkaway

Love Funny Relationship People Think Bit Laugh Also Making Context Curious Just Just A Little Bit Literary Little Little Bit

The most important thing for me is realism. I don't like writing which does somersaults on the page, and I'm no great fan of the hard work literary novel. Nick Hornby

I think I became less literary after I sold more! Nick Hornby

Think Sold More Became Literary After Less

We've sweated and torn out our hair trying to reconstruct our chosen lives, to fashion them like literary sculptures, at once monumental and yet human. We've applied all of our intelligence, our empathy, our critical faculties, our compassion - and we think, in our delusion, that it's still 1960, and our work is going to get noticed. Nigel Hamilton

Work Fashion Intelligence Compassion Hair Think Our Once Monumental Out Critical Torn Reconstruct Faculties Delusion Empathy Like Still Get Trying Going Human Literary Them Noticed Sculptures Chosen Lives Applied

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