The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Quotations

Fülszöveg

From inspiration to last words . . .
Through the entertaining and thought-provoking voices of a whole host of authors and other commentators, The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Quotations captures the richness and drama of literary life.
Speaking with wit and frankness, writers — from ancient Egypt to the present day -comment on all aspects of their lives and work. Here are their frustrations and difficulties — how to eke out a living, how to overcome self-doubt or writer's block, how to cope with critics, censors, journalists, and (especially) publishers. Here are their hoped-for rewards -achievement, reputation, prizes, money — and their professional and personal preoccupations with the sources of their creativity, with the tools of their trade, with sex, drink and drugs, religion and politics, life, love, and death. Popular genres, as well as the more literary, are covered, including Terry Pratchett on fantasy, Isaac Asimov on science fiction, Susan Hill on ghost stories, and... Tovább

Fülszöveg

From inspiration to last words . . .
Through the entertaining and thought-provoking voices of a whole host of authors and other commentators, The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Quotations captures the richness and drama of literary life.
Speaking with wit and frankness, writers — from ancient Egypt to the present day -comment on all aspects of their lives and work. Here are their frustrations and difficulties — how to eke out a living, how to overcome self-doubt or writer's block, how to cope with critics, censors, journalists, and (especially) publishers. Here are their hoped-for rewards -achievement, reputation, prizes, money — and their professional and personal preoccupations with the sources of their creativity, with the tools of their trade, with sex, drink and drugs, religion and politics, life, love, and death. Popular genres, as well as the more literary, are covered, including Terry Pratchett on fantasy, Isaac Asimov on science fiction, Susan Hill on ghost stories, and Ruth Rendell on crime fiction.
The vastly varying degrees of respect writers have for each other are vigorously expressed. Choice comments include Leo Tolstoy on Anton Chekhov (You know I can't stand Shakespeare's plays, but yours are even worse), Igor Stravinsky on
ISBN 0-19-860056-9
W. H. Auden (the dirtiest man I have ever liked), Kingsley Amis on Martin Amis (If I was reviewing Martin under a pseudonym, I would say he works too hard and it shows), Edith Sitwell on Virginia Woolf (a beautiful little knitter), and David Lodge on Walt Whitman ( who laid end to end words never seen in each other's company before outside of a dictionary)
Celebrating over 3,000 years of writing, the dictionary's 4,000 quotations are arranged thematically allowing the reader to dip easily into a chosen topic. Full keyword and author indexes ensure that a favourite quotation or author can be quickly located.
Dr Donne's verses are like the peace of God; they pass all understanding
James I
I like to write when I feel spiteful; it's like having a good sneeze
D. H. Lawrence
Writing this book I am like a man playing the piano with lead balls attached to his knuckles
Flaubert on writing Madame Bovary
I had an interest in death from an early age. It fascinated me. When I heard 'Humpty Dumpy sat on a wall', I thought, 'Did he fall or was he pushed?'
R D. James Vissza