Yes, but also one of the problems for a novelist in Ireland is the fact that there are no formal manners. I… — John McGahern Beautiful Copy Share Image
Ireland is a peculiar society in the sense that it was a nineteenth century society up to about 1970 and then it… — John McGahern Copy Share Image
We absolutely believed in Heaven and Hell, Purgatory, and even Limbo. I mean, they were actually closer to us than Australia or… — John McGahern Australia Copy Share Image
“They'd listen silenty, with grave faces: but once they'd turn to each other they'd smile cruelly. He couldn't have it both ways.… — John McGahern Abuse Copy Share Image
The rosary was said every evening. I always liked that sentence about the medieval Churches, that they were the Bibles of the… — John McGahern Bible Copy Share Image
I think there's a great difference in consciousness in that same way in that when we're young we read books for the… — John McGahern Books Copy Share Image
When you're in danger of losing a thing it becomes precious and when it's around us, it's in tedious abundance and we… — John McGahern Abundance Copy Share Image
Among its many other obligations, fiction always has to be believable. Life does not have to suffer such constraint, and much of… — John McGahern Copy Share Image
“There are no things more cruel than truths about ourselves spoken to us by another that are perceived to be at least… — John McGahern Truth Copy Share Image
For example, it's only about 20 years ago the people in that community would have got telephone lines, and it would be… — John McGahern Community Copy Share Image
“If it's well written, even an obscene book cannot be immoral. John McGahern, Galway, October 6th 2003. "Acclaimed as the most important… — John McGahern Books Copy Share Image
Everything that we inherit, the rain, the skies, the speech, and anybody who works in the English language in Ireland knows that… — John McGahern Communication Copy Share Image
The best of life is life lived quietly, where nothing happens but our calm journey through the day, where change is imperceptible… — John McGahern Calm Copy Share Image
“When a long abuse of power is corrected, it is generally replaced by an opposite violence. In the new dispensation all that… — John McGahern Abuse of power Copy Share Image
“As looking down from great heights brings the urge to fall and end the terror of falling, so his very watching put… — John McGahern Copy Share Image
Amongst Women concentrated on the family, and the new book concentrates on a small community. The dominant units in Irish society are… — John McGahern Book Copy Share Image
I belong to the middle class that grew up very influenced by the Catholic church. The people of the novel are from… — John McGahern Books Copy Share Image
I think technique can be taught but I think the only way to learn to write is to read, and I see… — John McGahern Education Copy Share Image
