Rivka Galchen

“I’m interested in [meteorology], but I’m more interested in gross misappropriations of the authoritative language of science. It feels rife with clarity,…

— Rivka Galchen

“So,' I said, partly to Magda, partly to myself, 'Rema left Argentina with this An-a-to-le person.' I adopted the four-syllable pronunciation with…

— Rivka Galchen

“That's something that would really sell. I mean, I admire that you tell stories of make-believe people in worlds that don't exist…

— Rivka Galchen

“We need to develop a better descriptive vocabulary for lying, a taxonomy, a way to distinguish intentional lies from unintentional ones, and…

— Rivka Galchen

“Sometimes failing is what's needed. I think it can put people in a good mood, to see someone fail. Let people entertain…

— Rivka Galchen

“I don’t know if math is real in the sense that it’s woven into the fabric of the cosmos, or if it’s…

— Rivka Galchen

The magnificently humble. The enormously small. The meaningfully ridiculous. Robert Walser's work often reads like a dazzling answer to the question, How…

— Rivka Galchen

We need to develop a better descriptive vocabulary for lying, a taxonomy, a way to distinguish intentional lies from unintentional ones, and…

— Rivka Galchen

“If a story seems too random, or perhaps too brilliant, for a "madman" to have conceived of it himself, then consider that…

— Rivka Galchen

“The room was too much there. I could feel the color of the wallpaper -- burgundy -- invading.”

— Rivka Galchen

“Every Tuesday night I go and see whatever is playing at the movie theater nearby. I'm not choosy. I'm happy to see…

— Rivka Galchen

But one day I woke up and heard myself saying, I am a fork being used to eat cereal. I am not…

— Rivka Galchen

I've always thought of my own mind as an unruly parliament, with a feeble leader, with crazy extremist factions.

— Rivka Galchen

“In a way our job is not so much to inspire the scientist in kids, but rather to allow it to grow…

— Rivka Galchen

“I have mentioned my patient Harvey, but I have failed to properly discuss him and the odd coincidence, or almost co-incidence, of…

— Rivka Galchen

“When is talking about literature not an evasion of the real question at hand? Although a nice-enough evasion.”

— Rivka Galchen

“They say no one reads anymore, but I find that's not the case. Prisoners read. I guess they're not given much access…

— Rivka Galchen

“No authority is wholly natural or native; when we’re not borrowing from our neighbors, we’re borrowing from our ancestors. One reason art…

— Rivka Galchen

Physics advances by accepting absurdities. Its history is one of unbelievable ideas proving to be true.

— Rivka Galchen

“Scudding is calming work, as it requires all of my attention to not let the knife slip. When I do it, I…

— Rivka Galchen

“I’d consider it profession enough to have streaky bleached hair, to wear a green scarf, to spill spicy teas, to walk (slightly)…

— Rivka Galchen

The writing process for a short story feels more like field geology, where you keep turning the thing over and over, noting…

— Rivka Galchen

“Then the nurse did turn to glance, and then stare—actually stare—at me. His look made me feel as if I was green,…

— Rivka Galchen

“My books rustled by like a military of ducks. My mother had never liked my books. She'd said they kept me from…

— Rivka Galchen

“I had also once come across a phrase about a book “lying like a poleaxed wildebeest in the middle of my life.”…

— Rivka Galchen