When the Irish novelist John McGahern was a child, his sisters unlaced and removed one of his shoes while he was reading. He did not stir. They placed a straw hat on his head. No response. Only when they took… — Anne Fadiman Copy Share Image
“...in the midst of the tumult, part ecstasy and part panic, into which all first-time mothers are thrown by sleep deprivation and headlong identity… — Anne Fadiman Copy Share Image
“He simply could not imagine a time when being a Jew, or even a half Jew, was not a disability.” — Anne Fadiman Copy Share Image
“When he looked back at the menu as an old man, it brought back everything; the food, the wine, the private dining room, the pride he took in being able to pay for such a dinner, the convergence of his life as a writer and his life as an oenophile, the conviviality that grew as the night continued and everyone… — Anne Fadiman Copy Share
“His books commingled democratically, united under the all-inclusive flag of Literature. Some were vertical, some horizontal, and some actually placed behind others. Mine were… — Anne Fadiman Copy Share Image
“her father had built from ax-hewn planks thatched with bamboo and grass. The floor was dirt, but it was clean. Her mother, Foua, sprinkled… — Anne Fadiman Copy Share Image
Some day, as soon as a book is printed it will be simultaneously put into digital form. That will be a wonderful research tool, but it will never substitute for holding the book. I feel certain that at least within my lifetime, everyone will still be going to the bookstore and buying printed books. Thank God I'll die before I… — Anne Fadiman Copy Share
The most important thing when starting out with essay writing is to find a voice with which you're comfortable. You need to find a… — Anne Fadiman Copy Share Image
“Going through a dead parent's memorabilia is a hazardous undertaking; there is a fine line between pleasure and pain.” — Anne Fadiman Copy Share Image
“He was constantly, pathologically, insanely busy. That’s how he afforded the wine.” — Anne Fadiman Copy Share Image
...the reader who plucks a book from her shelf only once is as deprived as the listener who, after attending a single performance of… — Anne Fadiman Copy Share Image
“Benjamin Franklin wrote that he would like to be embalmed in a cask of Madeira” — Anne Fadiman Copy Share Image
