Like children all over the world, by the age of 10 I'd come to believe that most of the really humane creatures were not really human at all. Andrew O'Hagan agechildcreature Change image and share on social
Every literary culture has among its first bearings the 'blether' of animals who seek to make sense of human existence. Andrew O'Hagan animalbearingblether Change image and share on social
When you grow up by the sea, you spend a good deal of time looking at the horizon. You wonder what on Earth the waves might bring - and where the sea might deposit you - until one day you know you have lived between two places, the scene of arrival and the point of departure. Andrew O'Hagan arrivalbringday share on social
A living museum must surely see itself as a locus of argument. A breathing art institution is not a lockup but a moveable feast. Andrew O'Hagan argumentartbreathe Change image and share on social
When I was growing up, there was a feeling in one's living room as much as in one's local gallery that a little elitism was good for the soul. Andrew O'Hagan elitismfeltgallery Change image and share on social
I probably owe my political dismay to New Labour, but also my growing sense that the satirical shape of human affairs is international and historical, not glued to the tawdry ambitions of a team of politicians who represent nothing but themselves. Andrew O'Hagan affairambitiondismay share on social
Writing a novel is an act of self-annihilation as much as self-discovery. You can kill whole appetites and flood whole depths while plumbing them, but if you are serious about it you also get to put something into the world that wasn't quite there before. Andrew O'Hagan actannihilationappetite share on social
In Britain, the great hidden secret of talking animals and children's literature is how political it was in its bones, beneath the obvious cuteness. Andrew O'Hagan animalbeneathbone Change image and share on social
'Reality' is a notion that journalists take for granted. Andrew O'Hagan grantjournalistnotion Change image and share on social