Eleanor Catton
Eleanor Catton
Eleanor Catton MNZMis a Canadian-born New Zealand author. Her second novel, The Luminaries, won the 2013 Man Booker Prize. In January 2015, she created a short-lived media storm in New Zealand when she made comments in an interview in India in which she was critical of "neo-liberal, profit-obsessed, very shallow, very money-hungry politicians who do not care about culture."...
NationalityNew Zealander
ProfessionAuthor
Date of Birth24 September 1985
assume change character creatures extreme limits push seems situation takes
It seems pretentious to assume that we are not creatures of action. I think often it takes a situation of extreme absurdity, extreme action, to push us to the limits of what our character is, and to change us as people.
It's very brave going from a position of authority to one where you are an apprentice.
conferred man prefer prestige
Is the prestige conferred by the Man Booker prize for the book or me? I would prefer it on the book and for me to be treated ordinarily.
bit deal hard people receive
Any description of a person that comes from the outside is very hard to deal with. People don't like being summarised. It's nice to receive a compliment, but it makes me feel a bit uncomfortable.
certain entitled expect level money relation work
As an artist, you need to be not at all entitled in your relation with the work. So money is kind of worrying. You can start to expect things if you're used to a certain level of comfort.
complement gets great itself renewable social teaching
Teaching is a great complement to writing. It's very social and gets you out of your own head. It's also very optimistic. It renews itself every year - it's a renewable resource.
born canadian family happened parents rogue studying
I'm the rogue Canadian in my family - I just happened to be born here while my parents were studying here.
creative fiction problems solve trying
I think that's what fiction writing is actually all about. It's about trying to solve problems in creative ways.
writers
I think that writers of literary fiction would do well to read more books for children.
The zodiac is a system a person can play with and see meaning in.
defining humans
The ability of humans to read meaning into patterns is the most defining characteristic we have.
fell home love youth zealand
My father is an expatriate American; he fell in love with New Zealand in his youth and never went home.
creating draw sharp
I would draw a really sharp distinction between creating and producing. I think that they're very different things.
books children loved reading
I have always loved reading books for children and young adults, particularly when those books are mysteries.