--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But it's the particularity of a place…" description: "\"But it's the particularity of a place, the physical experience of being in a place, that makes it onto the page. That's why I don't just do library res..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32b/hari-kunzru-12838_library_but-it-s-the-particularity-of-a-place-th_1432488.jpg" --- # But it's the particularity of a place, the physical… ![“But it's the particularity of a place, the physical experience of being in a place, that makes it onto the page. That's why I don't just do library research. I very rarely write about somewhere I haven't been.” quote by Hari Kunzru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32b/hari-kunzru-12838_library_but-it-s-the-particularity-of-a-place-th_1432488.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32b/hari-kunzru-12838_library_but-it-s-the-particularity-of-a-place-th_1432488.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32b/hari-kunzru-12838_library_but-it-s-the-particularity-of-a-place-th_1432488.jpg) > “But it's the particularity of a place, the physical experience of being in a place, that makes it onto the page. That's why I don't just do library research. I very rarely write about somewhere I haven't been.” [Hari Kunzru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kunzru/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Physical presence shapes authentic description; being there provides sensory detail that cannot be captured by research alone. **In simple terms:** Being in a place gives true detail for writing. Key Takeaway Visit locations before writing about them. Themes authenticity place sensory detail Mood reflective inspired Type literary creative When to use this quote - travel writing - fiction - journalism - memoir Key Concepts embodiment experiential writing Questions to Reflect On - How does travel influence your narrative voice? - What sensory details are most vivid in your memory? A Different Perspective Personal experience may be limited; not all writers can travel extensively. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Every writer knows a lot more about their characters and story than actually makes it onto the page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/every-writer-knows-a-lot-more-about-their-characters-and-story-than/) [Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/) > [At bottom each “exact” science is, and must be speculative, and its chief tool of research, too rarely used with both courage and judgement,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reginald-aldworth-daly/at-bottom-each-exact-science-is-and-must-be-speculative-and-its-chief/) Reginald Aldworth Daly > [I'd best head to the library. Research beckons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-giles/i-d-best-head-to-the-library-research-beckons/) [Rupert Giles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-giles/) > [I basically did all the library research for this book on Google, and it not only saved me enormous amounts of time but actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/i-basically-did-all-the-library-research-for-this-book-on-google-and/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Indiana Jones: Archaeology is the search for fact... not truth. If it's truth you're looking for, Dr. Tyree's philosophy class is right down the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-boam/indiana-jones-archaeology-is-the-search-for-fact-not-truth-if-it-s/) Jeffrey Boam > [One of the things I rarely do is write about sex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/one-of-the-things-i-rarely-do-is-write-about-sex/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [As for me, I rarely write a song. But when I do write a song, like "Ain't No Chimneys in the Projects," which came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-jones/as-for-me-i-rarely-write-a-song-but-when-i-do-write-a-song-like-ain-t/) [Sharon Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-jones/) > [I very rarely write anything before what I see what I'm writing for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mancini/i-very-rarely-write-anything-before-what-i-see-what-i-m-writing-for/) [Henry Mancini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mancini/) > [I tend to write things and review it afterwards and realise what comes out. I very rarely ever write something and have to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-goulding/i-tend-to-write-things-and-review-it-afterwards-and-realise-what/) [Ellie Goulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-goulding/) > [I love producing, writing. I rarely write with other writers unless I have a real great respect for them. Like Burt Bacharach, or Carole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aretha-franklin/i-love-producing-writing-i-rarely-write-with-other-writers-unless-i/) [Aretha Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aretha-franklin/) > [I rarely write in my own voice except in book reviews and memoirs; otherwise, I am writing in mediated voices, modulated in terms of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-rarely-write-in-my-own-voice-except-in-book-reviews-and-memoirs/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [I rarely write by myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-halford/i-rarely-write-by-myself/) [Rob Halford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-halford/) > [Critics are not creators. They rarely write great novels, invent new technologies, or come up with a great business idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-leo/critics-are-not-creators-they-rarely-write-great-novels-invent-new/) [Jacqueline Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-leo/) > [I live in Greenwich Village in New York City, but I rarely write at home, where there's too much else to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pavone/i-live-in-greenwich-village-in-new-york-city-but-i-rarely-write-at/) [Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) > [The further you go in writing the more alone you are. Most of your best and oldest friends die. Others move away. You do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/the-further-you-go-in-writing-the-more-alone-you-are-most-of-your/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) ## More by Hari Kunzru > [In my early teens, science fiction and fantasy had an almost-total hold over my imagination. Their outcast status was part of their appeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/in-my-early-teens-science-fiction-and-fantasy-had-an-almost-total/) [Hari Kunzru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kunzru/) > [Say there are three identical-looking pizza joints on a street. Two of those will always be empty. The third will have a line of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/say-there-are-three-identical-looking-pizza-joints-on-a-street-two-of/) [Hari Kunzru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kunzru/) > [“I wanted to store the world and play it back just as I’d found it, without change or addition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/i-wanted-to-store-the-world-and-play-it-back-just-as-i-d-found-it/) [Hari Kunzru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kunzru/) > [“I've seen some very bad things this year, most of them when I was distracted. The world comes at me when I'm drinking coffee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/i-ve-seen-some-very-bad-things-this-year-most-of-them-when-i-was/) [Hari Kunzru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kunzru/) > [“People want to get back to the source. The old school. They want things they can touch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/people-want-to-get-back-to-the-source-the-old-school-they-want-things/) [Hari Kunzru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kunzru/) > [When I try to understand somebody, create a character, I fall into them. When I think writers are telling me what to think, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/when-i-try-to-understand-somebody-create-a-character-i-fall-into-them/) [Hari Kunzru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kunzru/) > [“Duhovna sloboda sveta direktno zavisi od politicke slobode Indije. Molimo Vas da stavite nesto sitinine u kasu. Posle tri cetvrti sata gubi svaku sigurnost,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/duhovna-sloboda-sveta-direktno-zavisi-od-politicke-slobode-indije/) [Hari Kunzru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kunzru/) > [“You're too old to be saying to me, as you did recently, that you weren't 'interested in politics'. You're lucky that politics feels optional,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/you-re-too-old-to-be-saying-to-me-as-you-did-recently-that-you-weren/) [Hari Kunzru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kunzru/) > [As I got older I became a kind of sub cultural junkie, foraging around in music, street fashion and eventually art, politics and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/as-i-got-older-i-became-a-kind-of-sub-cultural-junkie-foraging-around/) [Hari Kunzru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kunzru/) > [I suffer from vertigo. It's paralyzing in extreme situations. The most scared I've been as an adult was trying to conquer that fear by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/i-suffer-from-vertigo-it-s-paralyzing-in-extreme-situations-the-most/) [Hari Kunzru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kunzru/) > [“Ti uspešni ljudi, muškarci i žene, bili su obučeni u ansamble grafitnosive i tamnoplave boje, kao simbole pouzdanosti i poštenja. To vidno polje sačinjeno…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/ti-uspe-ni-ljudi-mu-karci-i-ene-bili-su-obu-eni-u-ansamble/) [Hari Kunzru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kunzru/) > [“Driving was almost the only thing that felt natural in America. It was traditional. It was patriotic . When you accelerated, you could almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/driving-was-almost-the-only-thing-that-felt-natural-in-america-it-was/) [Hari Kunzru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kunzru/) > [“What if one were to want to hunt for these hidden presences? You can’t just rummage around like you’re at a yard sale. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/what-if-one-were-to-want-to-hunt-for-these-hidden-presences-you-can-t/) [Hari Kunzru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kunzru/) > [I think it's important for all culturally literate people to understand the technological substrate of new developments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/i-think-it-s-important-for-all-culturally-literate-people-to/) [Hari Kunzru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kunzru/) > [“We are a family whose roots are more like aerials. We pick up signals from the air around us - ideas, affinities, tastes, coordinates.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/we-are-a-family-whose-roots-are-more-like-aerials-we-pick-up-signals/) [Hari Kunzru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kunzru/) [Explore all 53 Hari Kunzru quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kunzru/) ## More Library quotes > [“Note found in the patron suggestion box: "You have SIGNS up near the computers that say BE QUIET, but people don't be quiet. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-sheridan/note-found-in-the-patron-suggestion-box-you-have-signs-up-near-the/) [Gina Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-sheridan/) > [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [“She might ban me from the library." "The marvelous thing about libraries is that their contents can be easily moved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alissa-johnson/she-might-ban-me-from-the-library-the-marvelous-thing-about-libraries/) [Alissa Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alissa-johnson/) > [Library: A place where the dead lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/library-a-place-where-the-dead-lie/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [The library is…a university of the people, from which the students are never graduated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-sharp/the-library-is-a-university-of-the-people-from-which-the-students-are/) Katharine Sharp > [My office in New York is overflowing with all kinds of cookbooks, and in New Orleans we have a huge culinary library. So yeah,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emeril-lagasse/my-office-in-new-york-is-overflowing-with-all-kinds-of-cookbooks-and/) [Emeril Lagasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emeril-lagasse/) > [If you want to get laid, go to college. If you want an education, go to the library.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/if-you-want-to-get-laid-go-to-college-if-you-want-an-education-go-to/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [“She'd always been a little excitable, a little more passionate about books than your average person, but she was supposed to be -- she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-beth-durst/she-d-always-been-a-little-excitable-a-little-more-passionate-about/) [Sarah Beth Durst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-beth-durst/) > [If truth is beauty, how come no one has their hair done in a library.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/if-truth-is-beauty-how-come-no-one-has-their-hair-done-in-a-library/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [In a library we are surrounded by many hundreds of dear friends, but they are imprisoned by an enchanter in these paper and leathern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/in-a-library-we-are-surrounded-by-many-hundreds-of-dear-friends-but/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [What people actually refer to as research is really just Googling. I already have a complicated relationship with research. It used to be going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dermot-mulroney/what-people-actually-refer-to-as-research-is-really-just-googling-i/) [Dermot Mulroney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dermot-mulroney/) > [“Censors don’t want children exposed to ideas different from their own. If every individual with an agenda had his/her way, the shelves in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-blume/censors-don-t-want-children-exposed-to-ideas-different-from-their-own/) [Judy Blume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-blume/) > [“You can’t learn to write in college. It’s a very bad place for writers because the teachers always think they know more than you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-can-t-learn-to-write-in-college-it-s-a-very-bad-place-for-writers/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [The pride and presence of a professional football team is far more important than 30 libraries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-modell/the-pride-and-presence-of-a-professional-football-team-is-far-more/) [Art Modell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-modell/) > [Don't forget to support your public library.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/don-t-forget-to-support-your-public-library/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) [Browse all 2,696 Library quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But it's the particularity of a place, the physical experience of being in a place, that makes it onto the page. That's why I don't just do library research. I very rarely write about somewhere I haven't been.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hari Kunzru" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/but-it-s-the-particularity-of-a-place-the-physical-experience-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Library" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/but-it-s-the-particularity-of-a-place-the-physical-experience-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32b/hari-kunzru-12838_library_but-it-s-the-particularity-of-a-place-th_1432488.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32b/hari-kunzru-12838_library_but-it-s-the-particularity-of-a-place-th_1432488.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32b/hari-kunzru-12838_library_but-it-s-the-particularity-of-a-place-th_1432488.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But it's the particularity of a place, the physical experience of being in a place, that makes it onto the…” — Hari Kunzru", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Hari Kunzru", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kunzru/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "But it's the particularity of a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/but-it-s-the-particularity-of-a-place-the-physical-experience-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/but-it-s-the-particularity-of-a-place-the-physical-experience-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```