Books Quote by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala

I do not share the pessimism of the age about the novel. They are one of our greatest spiritual, aesthetic and intellectual inventions. As…

— Richard Flanagan

My early novels were written in quite a dark place. I stand by them, but I would never write them again. I think it…

— Matt Haig

The idea for each of the stories in this book came in a moment of belief and was written in a burst of faith,…

— Stephen King

Another thing I learned is that novels, even those from apparently distant times and places, remain current and enlightening, and also comforting.

— Jane Smiley

Everyone seems to see bleakness and despair in my books. I don't read them that way. I see myself as writing comic books, books…

— J. M. Coetzee

I don't like novels that end happily. They depress me so much

— Oscar Wilde

I used to feel defensive when people would say, 'Yes, but your books have happy endings', as if that made them worthless, or unrealistic.…

— Marian Keyes

Have you thought of an ending?" "Yes, several, and all are dark and unpleasant." "Oh, that won't do! Books ought to have good endings.…

— Anonymous

My main disappointment was always that a book had to end. And then what? But I don't think I was ever disappointed by the…

— Eudora Welty

“Any writer must find it difficult to assess her own work honestly and objectively, so I can only say that I hope my books…

— Margaret Maddocks

“I read old novels. The reason is simple: I prefer proper endings. Marriages and deaths, noble sacrifices and miraculous restorations, tragic separations and unhoped-for…

— Diane Setterfield

Just as good books give me the joys of being alive, bad novels depress me, and as I notice this sentiment coming from the…

— Orhan Pamuk