Ernest Gaines
Ernest Gaines
Ernest James Gainesis an African-American author whose works have been taught in college classrooms and translated into many languages, including French, Spanish, German, Russian and Chinese. Four of his works have been made into television movies...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionNovelist
Date of Birth15 January 1933
CountryUnited States of America
lying men thinking
I like the sound of people's voices, and I think what a man says can very well tell what he's thinking, whether he's lying or not.
writing thinking who-i-am
I write to try to find out who I am. One of my main themes is manliness. I think I'm trying to figure out what manliness really is.
brother responsibility thinking
I was raised by a lady that was crippled all her life but she did everything for me and she raised me. She washed our clothes, cooked our food, she did everything for us. I don't think I ever heard her complain a day in her life. She taught me responsibility towards my brother and sisters and the community.
thinking differences want
I want you to show them the difference between what they think you are and what you can be.
came country deal knew realized tried
In the beginning, I tried to be a more cosmopolitan writer, but I realized that I was a country boy, and I had to deal with things I knew about and where I came from.
boss children face feed grace grow job men pressure war white
Grace under pressure isn't just about bullfighters and men at war. It's about getting up every day to face a job or a white boss you don't like but have to face to feed your children so they'll grow up to be a better generation.
writing past trying
All writers write about the past, and I try to make it come alive so you can see what happened.
new-york writing years
I suppose I started writing seriously at 16 years old. I thought I wrote a novel at 16 and sent it to New York! They sent it back because it wasn't novel.
home wanted
I wanted to be a writer. I wanted to say something about home.
fear mark
The mark of fear is not easily removed.
writing wanted feels
I had to see and feel and be with the thing that I wanted to write about.
eye dying fool
We looked at each other, and I could see in those big reddened eyes that he was not going to scream. He was full of anger - and who could blame him? - but he was no fool. He needed me, and he wanted me here, if only to insult me.
song people singing
When I'm sitting in the church alone, I can hear singing of the old people. I can hear their singing and I can hear their praying, and sometimes I hum one of their songs.
giving advice thumbs
If I were to give one piece of advice, I would say to never accept anything that you hear or see at face value. As a general rule of thumb, then the more you question, the better.