I try to show ugliness, but with compassion for the people who commit ugly acts. Rachel Kushner actcommitcompassion Change image and share on social
I begin a book with imagery, more than I do with an idea or a character. Some kind of poetic image. Rachel Kushner beginbookcharacter Change image and share on social
In fiction, there happens to be a long history of creative engagement with marginality, with the very human components of society that others don't want to think about, from writers such as Dostoyevsky, Baudelaire, and Rimbaud to Genet and Sarrazin and right on up to Norman Mailer. Rachel Kushner baudelairecomponentcreative share on social
I suppose I am interested in women plus anonymity plus disappearance. Rachel Kushner anonymitydisappearanceinterest Change image and share on social
I like to read novels where the author seems knowledgeable, like someone you know you could walk calmly next to through a complicated situation, and he or she would be alive to its meaning and ironies. And you wouldn't even have to mention them out loud to each other. Rachel Kushner aliveauthorcalmly share on social
Most go to prison not on account of their irreducible uniqueness as people but because they are part of a marginalized sector of the population who never had a chance, who were slated for it early on. Rachel Kushner accountchanceearly Change image and share on social
Telluride has an incredible history and reputation, and I've long known of it as a unique entity that makes a place for writers - one more aspect of this exceptional film festival in the Colorado Alps. Rachel Kushner alpaspectcolorado share on social
I don't believe that intelligence can be reduced to a number, frankly. But I can see how doing exactly that produces a useful sorting mechanism in our society in order to separate children into categories of promising and doomed. The tests seem arbitrary and without real scientific value and yet have lasting consequences. Rachel Kushner arbitrarycategorychild share on social
I didn't do a masters in creative writing until I was 26, which is quite old, and then I found myself in New York and I needed money, so I started working full time as an editor. Rachel Kushner creativeeditorfind Change image and share on social
Themes only arise after a novel is written, and people begin to try to talk about it. Rachel Kushner arisebeginpeople Change image and share on social