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All art is to some extent shaped by what has gone before. But that is an organic process, not a conscious intention. Novels are made out of novels as much as they are out of life.

— John Banville Fully Booked: Q & A with John Banville (2012)

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More quotes by John Banville

The world is a dark place, and I find it endlessly funny.

John Banville, The Art of Fiction No. 200 (2009)

Ian McEwan is a very good writer; the first half of Atonement alone would ensure him a lasting place in English letters.

The past beats inside me like a second heart.

The white May blossom swooned slowly into the open mouth of the grave.

If they give me the bloody prize, why can't they say nice things about me?

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: John Banville (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.