Biographies never feel as real as the best fiction. There is such a discontinuity between the narrative and the material it comes from, which is always such a mixed bag of letters, recollections, and other data. Janet Malcolm Read Quote
Something seems to happen to people when they meet a journalist, and what happens is exactly the opposite of what one would expect. One would think that extreme wariness and caution would be the order of the day, but, in fact, childish trust and impetuosity are far more common. Janet Malcolm Read Quote
The transgressive nature of biography is rarely acknowledged, but it is the only explanation for biography’s status as a popular genre. Janet Malcolm Read Quote
As an observer, I’m analysing my reactions, I guess, and my thinking; but about the process of writing… I am not very talented at talking about what I do as a writer. Janet Malcolm Read Quote
I’m a very laboured writer. I hammer it out sentence by sentence, and it takes a long time. That’s what the work is, right? To make the reader think it is not hard to do. Janet Malcolm Read Quote
I don’t go out of my way to be friendly, because it’s completely unnecessary. People tell you what they are going to tell you no matter what. Janet Malcolm Read Quote
