America is full of readers of all different sorts who love books in many different ways, and I keep meeting them. And I think editors should look after them, and make less effort to please people who don't actually like books. A. S. Byatt americabookeditor share on social
I don't only write about English literature; I also write about chaos theory and... ants. I can understand ants. A. S. Byatt antchaosenglish Change image and share on social
I think literary theory has not been terribly good for English studies in a while. It's not that theory isn't interesting, but it isn't about books, or the idiosyncrasies and complexities of putting language together. A. S. Byatt bookcomplexityenglish share on social
My professional and human obsession is the nature of language, and my best relationships are with other writers. In many ways, I know George Eliot better than I know my husband. A. S. Byatt eliotgeorgehuman Change image and share on social
I sort of mind living in a time when most of the literature is terribly personal. I suppose it's because I grew up on a love of history, philosophy, science and religion, but not to think too much about yourself. A. S. Byatt growhistoryliterature share on social
I think vestigially there's a synesthete in me, but not like a real one who immediately knows what colour Wednesday is. A. S. Byatt colourimmediatelyreal Change image and share on social
I am suspicious of writers who go looking for issues to address. Writers are neither preachers nor journalists. Journalists know much more than most writers about what's going on in the world. And if you want to change things, you do journalism. A. S. Byatt addresschangeissue share on social
I don't understand why, in my work, writing is always so dangerous. It's very destructive. People who write books are destroyers. A. S. Byatt bookdangerousdestroyer Change image and share on social
I think there are a lot more important things than art in the world. But not to me. A. S. Byatt artimportantlot Change image and share on social
Reading a newspaper is like reading someone's letters, as opposed to a biography or a history. The writer really does not know what will happen. A novelist needs to feel what that is like. A. S. Byatt biographyfeelhappen Change image and share on social
