Story and plot, not historical facts, are the engine of a novel, but I was committed to working through the grain of actual history and coming to something, an overall effect, which approximated truth. Rachel Kushner actualapproximatecome share on social
Writing is a way of living. It doesn't quite matter that there are too many books for the number of readers in the world to read them. It's a way of being alive for the writer. Rachel Kushner alivebooklive Change image and share on social
I know a little bit about motorcycles and motorcycle riding. Rachel Kushner bitemotorcycleride Change image and share on social
I am not a sun person at all. I think it's a cancerous poison and I don't want it touching me. Rachel Kushner cancerouspersonpoison Change image and share on social
I get the feeling that people from outside the world of contemporary art see it as deserving of mockery, in an emperor's-new-clothes sort of way. I think that's not right and that it's just because they don't understand the discourse. Rachel Kushner artclothecontemporary share on social
Tone is somewhat totalising in that, once I locate it, it tells me what kind of syntax to use, what word choices to make, how much white space to leave on the page, what sentence length, what the rhythmic patterning will be. If I can't find the tone, I sometimes try narrating through the point of view of someone else. Rachel Kushner choicefindkind share on social
Flamethrowers have been used by many armies in many wars, including by American Marines in Korea and Vietnam. They cause horrific deaths and are thus a serious public-relations liability. The U.S. military apparently phased them out in 1978. Rachel Kushner americanapparentlyarmy share on social
I know there are writers who like to say that every novel is hard, and it doesn't get easier. That may be the case, and I've only written two. But the first, to me, was characterized by an enduring oscillation between perseverance and a profound doubt. Rachel Kushner casecharacterizedoubt share on social
Futurism eventually got marred by its link to Fascism, but early on, it was totally avant-garde, and I wanted to dream a phantom link from the early futurists to the politically radical Italy of the 1970s, a time of fun, play, subversion - if also violence and mayhem. Rachel Kushner 1970savantdream share on social
I don't read for plot, a story 'about' this or that. There must be some kind of philosophical depth rendered into the language, something happening. Rachel Kushner depthhappenkind Change image and share on social