Ruth Rendell
Ruth Rendell
Ruth Barbara Rendell, Baroness Rendell of Babergh, CBEwas an English author of thrillers and psychological murder mysteries...
NationalityBritish
ProfessionWriter
Date of Birth17 February 1930
change doubt life quite separate sure upset
Violence is very much with us, and we like to see it. I doubt if you can change that, and I'm not sure you should want to. I have occasionally been very upset by something I was writing, but it's quite rare: I keep my writing very separate from my life.
difficulty quite
I have had quite a lot of prizes, but I don't think it makes any difference to the ease or difficulty to the writing process.
people quite sort
It makes me actually quite angry to think about people writing about torture with a sort of relish. Horrible.
cheerful people quite
People always tell me my books are so dark; I don't think they're particularly dark. I'm not like that. I'm quite a cheerful soul.
cupboard large quite stuffed
I have two quite large houses, and every cupboard and drawer is stuffed with books.
I've never met a murderer as far as I know. I would hate to.
I've never really been satisfied with a book. I always want it to be better.
good kept lose nicer none others people tried turning various wrote
I started by writing short stories, but they weren't very good; I tried them on various magazines, and none of them was published. People were nicer then about turning you down, and so I didn't lose heart - I kept on writing and wrote a lot of books, one or two of which I finished, and others I didn't.
becoming love people specialist strikes terror
Reading is becoming a kind of specialist activity, and that strikes terror into the heart of people who love reading.
people perhaps
People tell me the most extraordinary things. I've noticed it for years. Perhaps they know I won't be shocked. Or judgmental.
people
People are still being put into geriatric wards when they don't need it. They need treatment, not just being put into bed and fed.
afraid ask book food husband idiotic people putting replied written
People do sometimes ask me some really idiotic questions: 'Is your husband afraid of you putting arsenic in his food?' I replied that I have never written a book about poison, ever.
life people
The things I write about are completely removed from my own life, but people want to know the characters better.
awful nearly
I used to get an awful lot of letters, and they have almost all gone. I used to answer nearly all of them.