Have you ever been married? Had that thing of someone calling you by a name not your own? It's unsettling. It's like a fictitious person. Stacy Schiff callfictitiousmarry Change image and share on social
You have to scuba dive in the Alexandrian harbor if you want to see what remains of the lighthouse of Cleopatra's day, and the water in the Alexandrian harbor is not really something you want to come into contact with. Stacy Schiff alexandriancleopatracontact share on social
You ever try to leave New York? I did once. I lasted about a year. Stacy Schiff lastleaveyear Change image and share on social
Cleopatra was on a political mission to save her country and her power, but what we remember about her are these two famed seductions, which are a matter of politics, not a matter of love. Stacy Schiff cleopatracountryfamed Change image and share on social
The interesting thing about Cleopatra is that she is such a shape-shifter. I mean through history we've all molded her to our times and our places. So there's room for a movie for her, but I don't think it will hew to the book. Stacy Schiff bookcleopatrahave share on social
Recently a study proved that working from a larger, less cluttered computer screen increases concentration. I could have told them that. And yes, I write first drafts with a mechanical pencil and a yellow legal pad. There's good reason for this primitive behavior: I am a crackerjack typist. My hand moves far more quickly than my brain. Stacy Schiff behaviorcluttercomputer share on social
By the time Florence Nightingale got her neurotic hands on Cleopatra, she had been mangled beyond recognition by both history and literature. Stacy Schiff cleopatraflorencehand Change image and share on social
My next book is on the Salem witch trials. As a small-town Massachusetts girl, this makes me very happy. So does the reunion with documents! Stacy Schiff bookdocumentgirl Change image and share on social
Nonfiction writers are the packhorses of literature. We're meant to carry the story. If we can make it up and down the mountain by a reliable if not scenic route, we have delivered. Technique is optional. Stacy Schiff carrydeliverliterature share on social
Insofar as there is an anxiety of influence for a biographer, it may be that each new book is undertaken in reaction to the previous book. Stacy Schiff anxietybiographerbook Change image and share on social