The gift of a writer as good as Dickens is not to explain everything; that way, the reader has, in terms of their imagination, somewhere to go. Ronald Frame dickenexplaingift Change image and share on social
Originally I wanted somewhere to set my short stories about the sort of people I recognise having grown up with. Carnbeg was staring me in the face all the time, only I had somehow failed to see that. Not seeing the wood for the trees, I suppose. Ronald Frame carnbegfacefail share on social
At the age of nine, I could cross the length of Glasgow on a succession of buses, wearing regulation garter-topped stockings and compulsory cap and - if I'd done well enough to earn the honour in last week's test - with a First World War medal on a striped ribbon pinned to my brown blazer. I must have looked like a chocolate soldier. Ronald Frame ageblazerbrown share on social
As a writer, you need a strong sense of self-belief. And when it comes to writing, I've always had that. Ronald Frame beliefhavesense Change image and share on social
Let's say I find a lot of current American fiction too overwritten for my tastes, too self-conscious; I like something that's simpler and more direct. The story is what matters to me. I hope to make it seem real to readers, as if it happened just like this - so I don't want fancy descriptions getting in the way. Ronald Frame americanconsciouscurrent share on social
For ten years, I went to piano lessons. I don't think I'm a very musical person, and the theory quite defeated me, but I had a freak aptitude for Debussy and Ravel. Ronald Frame aptitudedebussydefeat Change image and share on social
'Ghost City' was actually one of the few instances of non-fiction that I had written, and I felt that I probably said what I wanted. I think it must be different for every author; I haven't done very much of it, and perhaps, in a way, I found it rather painful, which is why I don't really do it very often. Ronald Frame authorcityfelt share on social
I'm very interested in how corruption works - and it's not necessarily the way one might expect. Ronald Frame corruptionexpectinterest Change image and share on social
I like French films, Chabrol in particular. With him, you often get a skewed morality in which you sympathise with the person you shouldn't. Ronald Frame chabrolfilmfrench Change image and share on social
I can remember in my early days of writing going to sort of writers' functions and parties and things like that, and I used to get very irritated because when people heard that you came from the suburbs, they had this notion that it was very un-cool to come from there. Ronald Frame cooldayearly share on social