Literary Fiction Quotes - Page 1

Literary fiction is kept alive by women. Women read more fiction, period.
Khaled Hosseini / Novelist
Alive
Fiction
Periods
Literary
Literary Fiction
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Don't get me wrong, I love literary fiction. It's faux literary fiction I can't stand.
Dennis Lehane / Author
Faux
Fiction
I Can
Literary
Literary Fiction
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Literary fiction, as a strict genre, is all but dead. Meanwhile, most genres flourish.
Dean Koontz / Author
Fiction
Genre
Genre Is
Strict
Literary
Flourish
Literary Fiction
Meanwhile
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I read many wonderful novels, though I now find the idea of literary fiction obsolete.
Simon Sebag-Montefiore / Journalist
Obsolete
Literary
Literary Fiction
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I think that writers of literary fiction would do well to read more books for children.
Eleanor Catton / Author
Literary
Literary Fiction
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I'm trying to move a little more toward literary fiction while still retaining a popular feel.
Frank Peretti / Author
Retaining
Literary
Literary Fiction
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I think speculative fiction has fewer unspoken prerequisites than literary fiction for writers of color.
Nnedi Okorafor / Writer
Fewer
Unspoken
Literary
Literary Fiction
Speculative
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Summer is always a tricky time to recommend new literary fiction. The big releases do not hit until fall.
Michelle Dean /
Release
Tricky
Literary
Literary Fiction
Recommend
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Yes - 90% of fantasy is crap. And so is 90% of science fiction and 90% of mystery fiction and 90% of literary fiction.
George R. R. Martin / Novelist
Fantasy
Fiction
Mystery
Science Fiction
Literary
Literary Fiction
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The worldview implied by literary fiction is complex and ambiguous, trying to be faithful to the complexity and ambiguity of life.
Nancy Kress / Fiction Writer
Ambiguity
Complexity
Faithful
Implied
Worldview
Literary
Literary Fiction
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Literary fiction - if we must use the term - is not the plotless, meandering indulgence that its detractors would have you believe.
Dave Morris /
Indulgence
Term
Literary
Literary Fiction
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I resisted children's writing for a long time. I saw myself as a writer of literary fiction. But I had so much more fun writing kids' books.
Ellen Potter / Author
Time Myself Long
Literary
Literary Fiction
Resisted
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I don't mean that literary fiction is better than genre fiction, On the contrary; novels can perform two functions and most perform only one.
Mark Haddon / Novelist
Contrary
Genre
Perform
Literary
Functions
Literary Fiction
On The Contrary
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I'd always read omnivorously and often thought much literary fiction is read by young men and women in their 20s as substitutes for experience.
Neil Cross / Novelist
Men And Women
Substitutes
Literary
Experience Women Men
Literary Fiction
Young Men
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I always assumed I could never make a living out of literary fiction, and I was right. When I did try, it took four years before being published.
Justin Cartwright /
Assumed
Literary
Literary Fiction
Published
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As a teenager, I read a lot of science-fiction, but then I read 'Catch-22' and 'The Catcher in the Rye' and started reading more literary fiction.
Jed Mercurio /
Teenager
Catch-22
Catcher In The Rye
Literary
Literary Fiction
Rye
Started Reading
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Domestic realism has dominated the American marketplace for decades now. It leeches into literary fiction, and I don't think it's that rich a vein.
Lydia Millet / Novelist
Decades
Marketplace
Realism
Domestic
Literary
Literary Fiction
Vein
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Local markets for literary fiction remain underdeveloped; the metropolis often holds out the only real possibility of a professional writing career.
Pankaj Mishra / Essayist
Metropolis
Possibility
Literary
Holds
Literary Fiction
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When authors who write literary fiction begin to write screenplays, everybody assumes that's the end. Here's another who's never going to write well again.
Richard Russo / Novelist
Assuming
Fiction
Screenplays
Writing
Begin
Assumes
Authors
Literary
Literary Fiction
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I write literary, not commercial, fiction - or so I've been told by my publishers who are proud I write literary fiction but secretly wish I wrote commercial.
Tawni O'dell / Novelist
Publishers
Literary
Literary Fiction
Secretly
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It's never really easy to be successful as a writer when you're trying to write literary fiction. You've already limited your readership limited by that choice.
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni / Author
Readership
Literary
Literary Fiction
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I'm very keenly aware that there aren't very many women writing literary fiction in Ireland and so that gives me a sense that what I say matters, in some small way.
Anne Enright / Author
Fiction
Giving
Ireland
Writing
Women Me Way
Matters
Literary
Literary Fiction
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No one in my family was a reader of literary fiction. So, I didn't have encouragement, but I didn't have discouragement, because I don't think anybody knew what that meant.
Amy Tan / Film Writer
Encouragement
Discouragement
Fiction
My Family
Reader
Thinking
Anybody
Meant
Literary
Literary Fiction
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Why is it okay to write a work of literary fiction where horrible, explicit things happen, where you can't write a book of humor where silly, explicit things are happening?
Josh Gondelman / Comedian
Humor
Explicit
Horrible
Okay
Silly
Things Happen
Literary
Happening
Literary Fiction
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It's perceived as an accolade to be published as a 'literary' writer, but, actually, it's pompous and it's fake. Literary fiction is often nothing more than a genre in itself.
Neil Cross / Novelist
Fake
Genre
Pompous
Nothing More Than
Literary
Literary Fiction
Perceived
Published
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At 20, 25, 30, we begin to realise that the possibilities of escape are getting fewer. We have jobs, children, partners, debts. This is the part of us to which literary fiction speaks.
Mark Haddon / Novelist
Jobs
Children
Fewer
Fiction
Partners
Begin
Debts
Escape
Literary
Literary Fiction
Possibilities
Realise
Speaks
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A lot of young-adult authors, great ones, have tried their hands at literary fiction, and not a lot of them have succeeded. Not even Roald Dahl could switch-hit, and not for lack of trying.
Lev Grossman / Novelist
Great Ones
Authors
Literary
Literary Fiction
Succeeded
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'Parable of the Sower' is capital-I Important. Put it on the literary fiction shelf. Put it on the Holy Crap fiction shelf. Put it on every shelf. This is one of the all-time great American novels.
Robin Sloan / Author
All Time
Great American
Holy
Literary
Literary Fiction
Parable
Shelf
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I love developing children as characters. Children rarely have important roles in literary fiction - they are usually defined as cute or precious, or they create a plot by being kidnapped or dying.
Barbara Kingsolver / Novelist
Cute
Smile
Character
Children
Defined
Developing
Dying
Important
Plot
Literary
Important Roles
Literary Fiction
Precious
Rarely
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With literary fiction, generally a film maker falls in love with a book. In commercial fiction, it's a producer or studio falling in love with a book they can make into a movie with worldwide appeal.
Robert Gottlieb / Writer
Falling In Love
Appeal
Commercial
Maker
Falling
Literary
Generally
Literary Fiction
Producer
Studio
Worldwide
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Action fiction is driven more by what than by who. Put that ticking nuclear suitcase under Manhattan, and it's relatively easy to create suspense. Literary fiction is driven more by who than by what.
Barry Eisler / Novelist
Driven
Manhattan
Nuclear
Suspense
Literary
Literary Fiction
Suitcase
Ticking
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If you do approach a comics publisher, make sure it's one that publishes the kind of book you want to make. Don't take your literary fiction to Marvel or DC; don't pitch your Spider-Man epic to Image.
Antony Johnston /
Epic
Spider Man
Dc
Literary
Literary Fiction
Marvel
Publisher
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I don't write literary fiction - I write books that are entertaining, but are also, I hope, well-constructed and thoughtful and funny and have things to say about men and women and families and children and life in America today.
Jennifer Weiner / Writer
Book
Children
Entertaining
Men And Women
Thoughtful
Writing
Literary
Literary Fiction
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I'm well-read as far as literary fiction, but I wanted to make better decisions about my writing, to use words or phrases more confidently by learning how your words can be interpreted, the shades of meaning, the different connotations.
Amanda Shires / Singer-Songwriter
Phrases
Confidently
Learning Better Your
Connotations
Literary
Interpreted
Literary Fiction
Shades
Well-Read
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With a few notable exceptions, literary fiction in the U.K. is dominated by an upper and upper middle-class clique who usually have a tin ear for the demotic and who portray working-class characters with, at best, a benevolent condescension.
Adrian Mckinty / Novelist
Benevolent
Clique
Notable
Tin
Working Class
Dominated
Ear
Exceptions
Literary
Literary Fiction
Portray
Upper
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Many Scandinavian writers who had made their name in literary fiction felt they wanted to have a go at the crime novel to show they could compete with the best. If Salman Rushdie had been Norwegian, he would definitely have written at least one thriller.
Jo Nesbo / Author
Crime
Crime Novels
Fiction
Names
Novel
At Least One
Compete
Writers
Literary
Literary Fiction
Norwegian
Scandinavian
Thriller
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One of the things that doesn't come up as much as it should, especially in literary fiction, is this idea of faith and God... I feel like those are things that should be wrestled with... because they are such an integral part of our community on every level.
Victor Lavalle / Author
Our Community
Literary
Integral
Integral Part
Literary Fiction
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I think suspense should be like any other color on a writer's palette. I suppose I'm in the minority but I think it's crazy for 'literary fiction' to divorce itself from stories that are suspenseful, and assign anything with cops or spies or criminals to some genre ghetto.
Jess Walter / Author
Criminals
Divorce
Genre
Ghetto
Palette
Suspense
Assign
Cops
Literary
Suppose
Literary Fiction
Minority
Spies
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There are three things I look for in a story - it has to be a thriller; I cannot see myself writing literary fiction or a saga! There has to be a historical connection; otherwise, the adrenalin will not flow. And I will try to bridge the gap between 'Rozabal' and 'Chanakya'.
Ashwin Sanghi / Author
Flow
Saga
Adrenalin
Bridge
Connection
Literary
Gap
Literary Fiction
Thriller
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I read a lot of science fiction, but I also mixed it up with a lot of other genres: crime, literary fiction, as well as nonfiction. Author-wise, I'm a fan of Stephen King, Lauren Beukes, Robert McCammon, Raymond Chandler, Greg Rucka, Ed Brubaker and Gail Simone, among many others.
Adam Christopher /
Lauren
Nonfiction
Literary
Genres
Literary Fiction
Mixed
Raymond
Robert
Stephen King
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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 / Writer
Entertained
Literary
Literary Fiction
Readers
Something Else
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Before my book, 'California,' came out, I had modest hopes for it. Or, let's put it this way - I had the same hopes that every literary fiction writer in America has: I wanted the novel to be well-received, critically. As for sales? I didn't want it to disappoint, but I didn't expect it to be a best-seller, either.
Edan Lepucki / Novelist
California
Disappoint
Modest
Best-Seller
Fiction Writer
Critically
Literary
Hopes
Literary Fiction
Sales
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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 / Fiction Writer
Divided
Your Me Will
Affect
Literary
Me Nobody Will
Literary Fiction
Packaged
Perceived
Separates
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It seems to me that one of the things that happened with a lot of literary fiction in the 1980s and 1990s was that it became very concerned with the academy and less with how people live their lives. We got to a point where the crime novel stepped into the breach. It was also a time when the crime novel stopped being so metropolitan.
Val Mcdermid / Crime Writer
Academy
Breach
Metropolitan
Time Me People
Literary
Literary Fiction
Stepped
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Literary Fiction Quotes - Page 1

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