Alive Quote by David Shields

Non-fiction, and in particular the literary memoir, the stylised recollection of personal experience, is often as much about character and story and emotion as…

— Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

There is a physics to the world, which non-fiction has a contract to stand in awe of, otherwise it becomes completely self-centered and ego-driven,…

— Nick Flynn

Fiction, on the whole, and if it is any good, tends to be a subversive element in society.

— Fay Weldon

We are living in an era of such interesting new forms, and certainly narrative non-fiction has emerged as a major form. People who are…

— Daniel Mendelsohn

Fiction is a bridge to the truth that journalism can't reach.

— Hunter S. Thompson

Truth is stranger than nonfiction. And life is too interesting to be left to journalists. People have stories, but journalists have 'takes,' and it's…

— Walter Kirn

A fine memoir is to a fine novel as a well-wrought blanket is to a fancifully embroidered patchwork quilt. The memoir, a logical creation,…

— Julia Glass

“Fiction has been maligned for centuries as being "false," "untrue," yet good fiction provides more truth about the world, about life, and even about…

— Clark Zlotchew

“I do not like postmodernism, postapocalyptic settings, postmortem narrators, or magic realism. I rarely respond to supposedly clever formal devices, multiple fonts, pictures where…

— Gabrielle Zevin

Fiction is my deepest love, but I love journalism, too. It keeps me thinking vigorously, and it reminds me that there is a world…

— Jennifer Egan

Unless your aim is to deceive, there's not a meaningful distinction between memoir and fiction. They're marketing categories.

— Emily Gould

I just want fiction to remain a vital force for entertainment and not just for contemplation. Both things can exist.

— Gary Shteyngart