Ford Maddox Ford's 'The Good Soldier' is my favourite novel. I first read it in the 1950s and have read it about 20 times since. It's possibly the best-constructed book in the English language. Ruth Rendell 1950sbookconstruct Change image and share on social
I really am not affected by the tragic aspects of my books. Ruth Rendell affectaspectbook Change image and share on social
I am interested in names and what they say; it is true. I like to look at the columns of baby names in the newspapers. But I don't run out of new ones for my characters. Ruth Rendell babycharactercolumn Change image and share on social
Why do we have to have violence, torture, brutality in crime dramas every time we turn on television? Any new crime drama is going to have, sooner or later, a lot of torture and nasty things that make people flinch. Lots of young people I know shrink and flinch from that kind of thing on television, so I think showing it is a mistake. Ruth Rendell brutalitycrimedrama share on social
Suspense is my thing. I think I am able to make people want to keep turning pages. They want to know what happens. Ruth Rendell makepagepeople Change image and share on social
I don't have any dark desires. And I think most people don't. A few have dark desires and don't sublimate them. Ruth Rendell darkdesirepeople Change image and share on social
I'm a very bad Christian, but I am a Christian. I think that all women, unless they are absolutely asleep, must be feminists up to a point. And socialist, well yes, of course, it's not a fashionable word, but I am very much of the Left. Ruth Rendell absolutelyasleepbad share on social
Reading is becoming a kind of specialist activity, and that strikes terror into the heart of people who love reading. Ruth Rendell activityheartkind Change image and share on social
I knew quite a lot about politics before I went to Parliament. Ruth Rendell knowlotparliament Change image and share on social
I don't feel that I wanted to spend my whole writing life - which is my life - writing detective stories. Ruth Rendell detectivefeellife Change image and share on social