I began writing when I was still in the British Foreign Service, and it was then understood that even if you wrote about butterfly collecting, you used another name.
John Le CarreRead
If I had to put a name to it, I would wish that all my books were entertainments. I think the first thing you've got to do is grab the reader by the ear, and make him sit down and listen. Make him laugh, make him feel. We all want to be entertained at a very high level.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of engaging and entertaining readers through literature.
John Le Carre reflects on the role of literature as a form of entertainment, suggesting that the primary objective of any written work should be to captivate the reader's attention and elicit emotions. He underscores the significance of making readers laugh and feel deeply, asserting that high-quality entertainment is a fundamental desire we all share.
Themes
EntertainmentReadingEngagementEmotionLiterature
In practice
Example use cases
During a writers' conference, I would use this quote to inspire fellow authors to prioritize reader engagement.
More from John Le Carre
All quotes →In every war zone that I've been in, there has been a reality and then there has been the public perception of why the war was being fought. In every crisis, the issues have been far more complex than the public has been allowed to know.
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The cat sat on the mat is not a story. The cat sat on the other cat’s mat is a story.
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The monsters of our childhood do not fade away, neither are they ever wholly monstrous.
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Coming home from very lonely places, all of us go a little mad: whether from great personal success, or just an all-night drive, we are the sole survivors of a world no one else has ever seen.
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We've had enough." He took back the report and jammed it under his arm. "We've had a bellyful, in fact." "And like everyone who's had enough," said Control as Alleline noisily left the room, "he wants more.
John Le CarreRead
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Burn, burn tree and fern! Shrivel and scorch! A fizzling torch To light the night for our delight, Ya hey! Bake and toast ‘em, fry and roast ‘em! till beards blaze, and eyes glaze; till hair smells and skins crack, fat melts, and bones black in cinders lie beneath the sky! So dwarves shall die, and light the night for our delight, Ya hey! Ya-harri-hey! Ya hoy!
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Beauty is the experience that gives us a sense of joy and a sense of peace simultaneously.
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From the point of view of art, the butcher and the victim are equal as people. You need to see the people.
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I shut my eyes in order to see.
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Birds in flight fascinate me. I admire eagles and falcons. I’m inspired by a feather but also its color, its graphics, its weightlessness and its engineering. It’s so elaborate. In fact I try and transpose the beauty of a bird to women.
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