America has always been a nation of small places, and as we lose them, we’re losing part of ourselves. Richard Russo Read Quote
I’ve never written nearly as much about place as people seem to think I do. I just write about class. Richard Russo Read Quote
I don’t think America has ever had a center the way London is the center of England or Dublin is the center of Ireland. Richard Russo Read Quote
The deepest failures any fiction writer is likely to have are failures of not quite comprehending the truth of the story that he or she is telling. Richard Russo Read Quote
A short story is something that I think can be intuited and envisioned and held in your mind almost at once. Richard Russo Read Quote
I never worry about people not taking my work seriously as a result of the humor. In the end, the comic’s best trick is the illusion that comedy is effortless. That people imagine what he’s doing is easy is an occupational hazard. Richard Russo Read Quote
At the risk of appearing disingenuous, I don’t really think of myself as ‘writing humor.’ I’m simply reporting on the world I observe, which is frequently hilarious. Richard Russo Read Quote
A couple years ago, the novelist Russell Banks told me he was reading the ancient Greek historian Herodotus. I asked why. He said, ‘Because I’ve always wanted to and am tired of having my reading assigned.’ I thought it was a marvelous declaration of independence. Richard Russo Read Quote
