Dramatization as Honesty
If I don't dramatise this, it will never be known. Fiction is how we reveal what reality conceals
Colm Tóibín
Irish novelist and critic, author of Brooklyn and The Magician
All moments: Colm Tóibín
- Emigration as Theme — Colm Tóibín
Emigration leaves a scar, but that scar contains a person's entire story. It's material for a writer
- Irish Identity — Colm Tóibín
Being an Irish writer means living between past and future. We cannot forget history, but must rewrite it with meaning
- Catholic Imagination — Colm Tóibín
Catholicism gave me a language for understanding human suffering. It's a language of metaphor, mystery, and ambivalence
- Return to Brooklyn — Colm Tóibín
Fifteen years passed between the first Brooklyn novel and its sequel. During that time, Eilis became different, and I found new stories in her life
- Loss as Liberation — Colm Tóibín
Losing one's homeland can be loss, but it can also be the beginning of freedom. In exile, one becomes oneself
- The Writing Process — Colm Tóibín
Writing is solitude and discipline. You must sit for long hours with yourself and listen to the character's voice
Related moments
- Birth of a Legend — Paul McCartney
The Beatles were about growth. We changed every single day.
- All Music Is Folk Music — Louis Armstrong
All music is folk music. I ain't never heard a horse sing a song.
- The Power of Compassion — Michael Jackson
The most important thing is love and compassion. They override everything.
- Music Is Life — Jon Batiste
Music is a spiritual practice, a therapy, a way to connect us to ourselves and each other
- Alien Artist — David Bowie
I never tried to fit in. I prefer to be myself, even if it's alien.
- Compromise and Conscience — Bob Dylan
I'll never sell my soul for money or fame. It's my only true asset.