Books Quote by Jaume Cabre
“What I strive to do is make my characters seem like real people so that the reader experiences them as people - that's something I've been working on all of my life. I couldn't have written this novel at twenty or thirty, for technical reasons - I didn't have the technique then - but above all because I didn't have the life experiences I have now at sixty-seven.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Jaume Cabré on his novel Jo confesso, 2014
He believes characters should feel real to readers, and that only age and life experience gave him the technique and depth to achieve this.
In simple terms: Characters become real through a lifetime of experience and craft.
Key Takeaway
Grow through life and craft to create believable people.
Themes
character
craft
life experience
maturity
storytelling
readership
Mood
reflective
earnest
wise
Type
authorial reflection
craft wisdom
When to use this quote
- writing fiction
- literary criticism
- mentoring younger writers
- revising older work
Key Concepts
character realism
craft and technique
experiential knowledge
Questions to Reflect On
- What have you learned through life that now shapes your work?
- Which of your older projects deserve revisiting?
A Different Perspective
Youthful writers can also create vivid characters. Experience alone neither guarantees nor excludes talent.
![“Now I do feel like I have something to say. The book [How to Be a Bawse] is a guide on how to not just survive life but to conquer it. And it's based on my life experiences, all the people I've met, all the things I've learned from those people, being in the weird situations that I get in.” quote by Lilly Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e98/lilly-singh-2866_book_now-i-do-feel-like-i-have-something-to-s_3016407.jpg)
