Any description of a person that comes from the outside is very hard to deal with. People don't like being summarised. It's nice to receive a compliment, but it makes me feel a bit uncomfortable. Eleanor Catton bitecomplimentdeal Change image and share on social
My second novel, 'The Luminaries,' is set in the New Zealand gold rushes of the 1860s, though it's not really a historical novel in the conventional sense. So far, I've been describing it as 'an astrological murder mystery.' Eleanor Catton 1860sastrologicalconventional share on social
Teaching is a great complement to writing. It's very social and gets you out of your own head. It's also very optimistic. It renews itself every year - it's a renewable resource. Eleanor Catton complementgreathead Change image and share on social
My sense of injustice about our family's 'weirdness' in not owning a car was amplified by the fact that we did not own a television, either - my parents were unapologetic about this and told me very cheerfully that I would thank them for it when I was older, which was quite true. Eleanor Catton amplifycarcheerfully share on social
I think that's what fiction writing is actually all about. It's about trying to solve problems in creative ways. Eleanor Catton creativefictionproblem Change image and share on social
Astrology's a moving system that depends on where you're looking at it from on Earth. My horoscope here in London would be completely different to down in New Zealand. Eleanor Catton astrologycompletelydepend Change image and share on social
Is the prestige conferred by the Man Booker prize for the book or me? I would prefer it on the book and for me to be treated ordinarily. Eleanor Catton bookbookerconfer Change image and share on social
I've had countless reviews sort that have made me cry. It's funny, it doesn't ever get better either; you can't turn your ears off. Eleanor Catton countlesscryear Change image and share on social
There are so many ways of posturing that people associate with being a writer. They imagine you wearing a beret and drinking only red wine and being full of yourself, and so, for a long time, the way I felt about writing was too private. I felt it too important and didn't want to be teased about it. So I lied about it. Eleanor Catton associateberetdrink share on social
There are a lot of people of my generation in New Zealand literature, young writers on their first or second books, that I'm just really excited about. There seems to be a big gap between the generation above and us; it seems to be quite radically different in terms of form and approach. Eleanor Catton approachbigbook share on social