Skip to content

I could have kept [writing "Irish" novels such as Birchwood] and probably had a good deal more success than I did, especially on this side of the Atlantic. But you have to try to do many things. You have to try to do things that you actually think you're incapable of.

— John Banville Once More Admired Than Bought, A Writer Finally Basks in Success (1990)

Another quote →

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?

All John Banville quotes →

Attribution

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.