As a youngster, I think I said I wanted to be a journalist, but that's a disguise for being a writer. Romesh Gunesekera disguisejournalistwant Change image and share on social
An aircraft cabin is a place that seems to be nowhere, but I find it steeped in the place left behind and the place ahead. Romesh Gunesekera aheadaircraftcabin Change image and share on social
I never expected to earn money out of writing. In fact, the idea of getting published was too bourgeois. Then, in England, I realised that writing a book was something you could do without it being laughable. Romesh Gunesekera bookbourgeoisearn share on social
My first inkling of what the Commonwealth might really mean came only when I escaped the oddly British-tinged Asia I had known and went to live in the Philippines. Romesh Gunesekera asiabritishcommonwealth Change image and share on social
To my mind, forgetting is a risky strategy for living. Memory is essential to us. It is DNA. We need to remember, and we need to imagine. That's why we have books, writing, fiction. Romesh Gunesekera bookdnaessential Change image and share on social
If you are writing something, you automatically create a certain distance. It can be very little. Even within the same city you imaginatively have a certain distance from your subject, and at the same time, you have to have a connection. Romesh Gunesekera automaticallycityconnection share on social
The most appealing side-effect of Sri Lankan cricket from where I stand, shuffling words, has been linguistic. Romesh Gunesekera appealcricketeffect Change image and share on social
I was thinking of writers living in East Europe before the Berlin Wall came down. They wrote fantastic stuff but were dealing with a situation that was almost impossible to deal with, but they found a way. Romesh Gunesekera berlindealeast share on social
I've met writers who wanted to be writers from the age of six, but I certainly had no feelings like that. It was only in the Philippines when I was about 15 that I started reading books by very contemporary writers of the Beatnik generation. Romesh Gunesekera agebeatnikbook share on social
I grew up in Colombo but was lucky enough to spend a lot of time in the countryside as well. Although there was considerable turbulence, even in the 1950s, it did not throw a shadow on my consciousness. Romesh Gunesekera 1950scolomboconsciousness share on social
