Novelists Quotes
What writers of fiction say about their own craft.
Several of these quotes push back on the assumption that fiction is really Autobiography in disguise, insisting a novelist's imagination stands on its own. Others place novelists alongside poets, treating the two as neighbors who have always shared the same shelf.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What do novelists say about their own craft here?
One writer is described as the most European of British novelists of the last century, while another argues novelists don't follow the same rhythms as the critics who review them.
Do these quotes suggest novels are secretly autobiography?
One quote pushes back on exactly that idea, noting novelists are too often assumed to write hidden versions of their own lives when the truth is usually more invented, a topic covered on Autobiography.
How do novelists relate to poets, according to this page?
One quote places the two side by side across all of history, treating fiction writers and poets as long-standing neighbors in the same tradition rather than rivals.
Is there a specific novelist mentioned by name?
Yes, Anthony Powell is named as unusually European for a British novelist of his era, a small detail that hints at how nationality shapes a writer's reputation.
Do novelists get along with critics, based on these quotes?
Not entirely; one quote draws a clear line between how novelists work and how Critics tend to judge that work from the outside.
