Books Quote by Tom Burke

I believe passionately in preemptive pessimism, especially before a book comes out. I expect the worst both from reviewers and sales, and then, with…

— Antony Beevor

I tend toward the pessimistic end of the spectrum, and unfortunately there's little in human history to convince me that pessimism is unwarranted.

— Ron Currie Jr

This is not pessimism but rather casting a cold eye on things. It is only one man's story, and I think that things will…

— Chinua Achebe

I have this belief that we are so vulnerable when we open ourselves up to literature. We're reminded of these real parts of ourselves.

— Tracy K. Smith

Keep reminding yourself that literature is one of the saddest roads that leads to everything.

— Andre Breton

My pessimism (which, by the way, is far from absolute) originated with my despair in the lack of perfection to be found in human…

— Stanislaw Lem

The older books were quite light-hearted. But I think most of my novels do end on a deep note of pessimism. Shadows seem to…

— Ruth Prawer Jhabvala

For me, novel-writing, by its nature, contains months of feeling lost, gloomy, fatally misguided. The challenge has always been in assuring myself that by…

— Ben Dolnick

I'm trying to move a little more toward literary fiction while still retaining a popular feel.

— Frank Peretti

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

I used to be more of a purist about literature. I thought, 'If it's a really propulsive story, then maybe there's something unliterary about…

— Steven Heighton

I've summarized dozens of books in my literary career; it's become rather second nature.

— Rick Perlstein