Jean Hanff Korelitz
Jean Hanff Korelitz
Jean Hanff Korelitzis an American novelist and essayist...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionNovelist
Date of Birth16 May 1961
CountryUnited States of America
best books fine glorious prose simply verbal writers
I say that glorious prose is a fine and laudable thing, but without an enthralling story, it's just so much verbal tapioca. Simply put, the best books have both, and the best writers disparage neither.
absolutely assuming both lies people rotten
Like many people, I have a fascination with lies and the people who tell them. I wouldn't say I've never told a lie, but I don't think I've ever told one without both assuming I would be found out and feeling absolutely rotten about it.
york
I was 11 years old and horse-obsessed. New York City was an unfortunate place for a girl like me to be growing up.
people
People need a narrative, and if there isn't one on offer, they make one up.
attains basic central relinquish seems struck until
Most of all, I am struck by an irony central to the lot of a purebred dog: As it attains the hallmarks of its breed, it seems to simultaneously relinquish its basic dogginess, until it is less a dog than a Pomeranian, Collie or Bloodhound.
constant pacing sort
Pacing is not the sort of thing you can plan out beforehand, but you're always aware of it as you write, because you need to make constant decisions.
anyone exactly extremely lie life men position smart vulnerable women worth
I'm not in a position to tell anyone anything about how to live his or her life, but I think it's worth noting that no one can lie to us as effectively as we can lie to ourselves. We know exactly what to say! And I do think that women, even extremely smart women, can be very, very vulnerable to men.
aged cambridge coloured convey diary graduating recorded returned spend
I made it to London aged six, an event I recorded in my diary with coloured markers to convey my sense of occasion. And in 1983, after graduating from college, I returned to spend two years at Cambridge University.
colossal pretend serious work writers
Serious writers pretend they don't care about film adaptations of their work, but it's a colossal lie: We all care.
high imperial note sitting
Did I become a theater person right then, sitting in the Imperial Theater, waiting for the high piccolo note at the start of 'Pippin'? Maybe.
life somebody
Every so often in life, you encounter a brilliant idea. Usually, at least in my case, it's somebody else's idea.
alive
A successful birth is not a birth without drugs or monitors or surgery. A successful birth is when you're alive and the baby's alive.
endless examples front nose papers people
I started thinking about what I've always been interested in: how people can't see things that are right in front of them. All you have to do is read the papers to see endless examples of smart people who can't see the nose on their faces.
adversity appear changed characters compulsion formidable indeed rise seeing until watching
As a writer, I have this compulsion to take characters who appear formidable and bombard them with adversity until they crumble. What's interesting is watching them rise again, and seeing how they've changed and grown, if indeed they have.