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
The zodiac is a system a person can play with and see meaning in. Eleanor Catton meanpersonplay Change image and share on social
I don't feel like literature has the power to alienate. I think that's something people feel if they don't connect with a work of art. But I don't think a work of art can actively reject the person who's looking at it or reading it. Eleanor Catton activelyalienateart share on social
I would draw a really sharp distinction between creating and producing. I think that they're very different things. Eleanor Catton createdistinctiondraw Change image and share on social
In researching 'The Luminaries,' I did read quite a lot of 20th-century crime. My favourites out of that were James M. Cain, Dassiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler and Graham Greene and Patricia Highsmith. Eleanor Catton 20thcaincentury share on social
I see disappointment as something small and aggregate rather than something unified or great. With a little effort, every failure can be turned into something good. Eleanor Catton aggregatedisappointmenteffort Change image and share on social
My parents took me to the Bronte parsonage in England when I was a teenager. I had a fight with my mum, burst into tears, jumped over a stile and ran out into the moors. It felt very authentic: A moor really is an excellent place to have a temper tantrum. Eleanor Catton authenticbronteburst share on social
I don't see that my age has anything to do with what is between the covers of my book, any more than the fact that I am right-handed. It's a fact of my biography, but it's uninteresting. Eleanor Catton agebiographybook 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
A trip to the picture framer's, with a selection of prints, is the most joyous outing I can imagine. I've spent more money on framing than on anything else I own. Eleanor Catton frameframerhave Change image and share on social