I had been attempting novels since I was 14 but always ran out of steam. High hopes, poor craftsmanship. — Michel Faber Copy Share Image
Really good books need a chaos element: something weird or inexplicable. — Michel Faber Copy Share Image
In 1978, when I was 17 and in my first year at university, I read approximately 3,500 pages of Dickens. — Michel Faber Copy Share Image
At university, one of my areas of study was Victorian literature, so I decided to see if I could write a novel… — Michel Faber Copy Share Image
One of the things my success as an author has forced me to face is how dysfunctional... Maybe that's a strong word,… — Michel Faber Copy Share Image
When answering questions over the years about film and TV adaptations of my books, I have always maintained that no movie or… — Michel Faber Copy Share Image
Most books are surplus to the world's requirements, and I am going to sound very conceited here, but I am trying to… — Michel Faber Copy Share Image
'The Crimson Petal and the White' is a book, and it will win or lose the trust of each reader when they… — Michel Faber Copy Share Image
History proves that most writers get forgotten anyway. That's very likely to happen to my books, and if I'm extremely lucky, maybe… — Michel Faber Copy Share Image
I think throughout the 20th century, for some reason, serious writers increasingly had contempt for the average reader. You can really see… — Michel Faber Copy Share Image
The mere fact of my novel being filmed means very little to me. For a long while after 'The Crimson Petal's publication… — Michel Faber Copy Share Image
I think that if you are a serious writer, you are almost obligated to provide the intelligent average reader with something that… — Michel Faber Copy Share Image
Total oblivion is the fate of almost everything in this world. I'm very likely to suffer that same fate; my work will… — Michel Faber Copy Share Image
“Why are there such long words in the world, Miss?’ enquires Sophie, when the mineralogy lesson is over. ‘One long difficult word… — Michel Faber Copy Share Image
A text may be superbly written, exquisitely subtle, deeply meaningful, but still seem like a luxury extra, something we add to the… — Michel Faber Copy Share Image
I got fed up with the human race, really. I got a very negative feeling about human potentials. And for a while,… — Michel Faber Copy Share Image
Before I was published, I thought men read car manuals or books about football. But once I started having really serious conversations… — Michel Faber Copy Share Image
I wanted each of my books to be very different from the others, each to be special and uncategorizable, and I knew… — Michel Faber Copy Share Image
I never, ever want to be in a position where people are sitting round a table, saying, 'We've got this book. I… — Michel Faber Copy Share Image
One of the things my success as an author has forced me to face is how dysfunctional... Maybe that's a strong word, but how… — Michel Faber Copy Share Image
“One of Lucy's admirers took to her, apparently." "Took to her?" echoes William, his own feelings for Sugar causing him to construe the phrase… — Michel Faber Copy Share Image
“Because I must do something while I still can. Each soul is still incalculably precious.” — Michel Faber Copy Share Image
“She sings on and on, while the house is discreetly dusted all around her and, in the concealed and subterranean kitchen, a naked duck,… — Michel Faber Copy Share Image
My energies get used up quite quickly, and the psychic space I'm in when I write is a very lonely one, so I found… — Michel Faber Copy Share Image
When we ask bureaucrats to identify who is responsible for fixing anything, they reassure us that there are 'procedures in place.' — Michel Faber Copy Share Image
“Yes, seven years old she was, when she finally plucked up the courage to ask her mother what Christmas was all about, and Mrs… — Michel Faber Copy Share Image
Of course I know that the twins are only words on a page, and I'm certainly not the sort of writer who talks to… — Michel Faber Copy Share Image
“Isn't Heaven reward enough, without needing to see the damned punished?” — Michel Faber Copy Share Image
