Game Quote by Ben Dolnick

Tolstoy was the most gifted writer who ever lived. It's like he stuck a pen in his heart and it didn't even go through…

— Mel Brooks

I began writing fiction because it was the only way to tell all the intricacies of a real-life spy story.

— David Ignatius

When I think of Tokyo Story, yeah, it is like a novella. That doesn't mean it's not great. Some of my favorite Tolstoy works…

— Paul Auster

I always knew writing a novel was a great thing.

— James Salter

Angela Carter's fiction blew me away and really instilled a passion for writing, bolstered by Vladimir Nabokov. But in general, I can't point to…

— Jeff VanderMeer

When I was in prison, I was wrapped up in all those deep books. That Tolstoy crap - people shouldn't read that stuff.

— Mike Tyson

While my stories are experimental, they're also very traditional. I love the works of the great Russian writers like [Pavel] Chekhov and [Lev] Tolstoy,…

— Alexander Weinstein

I believe novels can have secrets from their author, a notion I imagine would appall Nabokov.

— Steve Erickson

I always wanted to write novels, even before I had read a lot of novels or had a very good idea of what they…

— Elif Batuman

I had no real idea I was going to become a writer. It was just a game for me. I just liked pretending, daydreaming…

— Rabindranath Maharaj

I went through a whole phase when I was younger of being obsessed with Tolstoy and Kafka and Camus, all those really, beautiful, dark…

— Jessica Pare

I see this quality [real interest and joy] in the work of [Pavel] Chekhov, of course, and [Alexei] Tolstoy and really just about any…

— George Saunders