I've never put Northern Ireland into a novel because it's not my territory. I come from the South, so my imaginative territory is very much the Republic of Ireland rather than the North. Even though, if I wrote a novel about the North, it might sell more. Colm Toibin haveimaginativeireland share on social
All writing is a form of manipulation, of course, but you realize that a plain sentence can actually do so much. Colm Toibin formmanipulationplain Change image and share on social
Solitude is good in the evening. Dublin is a quiet city when you get to a certain age, when your friends settle down and have kids. Nothing much happens here. Colm Toibin agecitydublin Change image and share on social
I lived in the Republic of Ireland. I wrote a book about the North but as an outsider. The hatreds there were not mine. I never felt them. I liked how open in most ways Catalan nationalism was, compared to Irish nationalism. I disliked the violence and cruelty in Ireland. Colm Toibin bookcatalancompare share on social
Anyone who works in the arts knows, if you're writing a novel or a play or anything, you have to be ready for someone to say, 'Your time is up.' Colm Toibin artplayready Change image and share on social
I was first in Sydney in 1993, and have been a few times since then. For someone who didn't know Australia, it came as a shock how intelligent, interesting and funny the people were. If I lived there I might see it differently, but as a visitor it was a lot of fun. Colm Toibin australiadifferentlyfun share on social
While historians may go on attempting grand, sweeping and defining narratives, they work in a time when readers know that another narrative always lies in wait, and that the more intelligent an historian is, the more tentative and self-scrutinizing the tone. Colm Toibin attemptdefinegrand share on social
I feel just fine about ignoring or bypassing the rights of people I have known and loved to be rendered faithfully, or to be left in peace, and out of novels. Colm Toibin bypassfaithfullyfeel Change image and share on social
Everyone who's in America spends the first few years not experiencing it. The person is frightened by the newness of the place and doesn't see things. Her emotional universe becomes the entire universe. And then when she thinks of home, her distance in space can seem like a distance in time. Colm Toibin americadistanceemotional share on social
Life has a funny way of becoming ordinary as soon as it can. Colm Toibin funnylifeordinary Change image and share on social