Beneath Every History, Another History.

If I Am Feeling Broken, I Can Pick Up One Of [ivy Compton-burnett] Books And The Next Morning I Can Write Again. It Puts My Mechanism Back.

You Don't Get On By Being Original. You Don't Get On By Being Bright. You Don't Get On By Being Strong. You Get On By Being A Subtle Crook.

I Am Usually Protective Of My Work, Not Showing It To Anyone Until It Has Been Redrafted And Polished.

I Only Became A Novelist Because I Thought I Had Missed My Chance To Become A Historian.

Fortitude. ... It Means Fixity Of Purpose. It Means Endurance. It Means Having The Strength To Live With What Constrains You.