A. N. Wilson
A. N. Wilson
Andrew Norman Wilson is an English writer and newspaper columnist, known for his critical biographies, novels, works of popular history and religious views. He is an occasional columnist for the Daily Mail and former columnist for the London Evening Standard, and has been an occasional contributor to the Times Literary Supplement, New Statesman, The Spectator and The Observer...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionWriter
Date of Birth27 October 1950
writing shadow feels
Everyone writes in Tolstoy's shadow, whether one feels oneself to be Tolstoyan or not.
consciousness fear-of-death
Fear of death has never played a large part in my consciousness - perhaps unimaginative of me.
book writing
I don't write books inadvertently.
writing thinking people
I don't think you can tell the objective truth about a person. That's why people write novels.
believe house church
I believe the collapse of the House of Windsor is tied in with the collapse of the Church of England.
jobs men marketing
The death of any man aged 56 is very sad for his widow and family. And no one would deny that Steve Jobs was a brilliant and highly innovative technician, with great business flair and marketing ability.
inspirational writing annoyed
If you know somebody is going to be awfully annoyed by something you write, that's obviously very satisfying, and if they howl with rage or cry, that's honey.
liars believe angel
Of all liars the most arrogant are biographers: those who would have us believe, having surveyed a few boxes full of letters, diaries, bank statements and photographs, that they can play at the recording angel and tell the whole truth about another human life.
fake-people teacher laptops
I should prefer to have a politician who regularly went to a massage parlour than one who promised a laptop computer for every teacher.
sadness people joy
It would no doubt be very sentimental to argue - but I would argue it nevertheless - that the peculiar combination of joy and sadness in bell music - both of clock chimes, and of change-ringing - is very typical of England. It is of a piece with the irony in which English people habitually address one another.
math insatiable-hunger awakening
The fact that logic cannot satisfy us awakens an almost insatiable hunger for the irrational.
sympathy christian doubters
I very much dislike the intolerance and moralism of many Christians, and feel more sympathy with Honest Doubters than with them.
christian jesus sunday
When Christians start thinking about Jesus, things start breaking down, they lose their faith. It's perfectly possible to go to church every Sunday and not ask any questions, just because you like it as a way of life. They fear that if they ask questions they'll lose their Christ, the very linchpin of their religion.
clever people want
The really clever people now want to be lawyers or journalists.