Barry Unsworth quotes

Eudora Welty's 'A Curtain of Green' had an enormous effect on me. But my early attempts to graft stories from the Deep South onto North of England provincialism were not successful. All were rejected. (Barry Unsworth)
All my fiction starts from a feeling of unique perception, the pressure of a secret, a story that needs to be told. View quote
Barry Unsworth
I like the condition of being an outsider, just passing through. View quote
Barry Unsworth
Angels are not complete, they need their counterparts, the dark needs the bright, the hidden needs the open, and vice versa. Sometimes they meet and recognise each other. Sometimes, as with Horatio and me, the pairing occurs over spaces of time and distance. View quote
Barry Unsworth
Nothing a man suffers will prevent him from inflicting suffering on others. Indeed, it will teach him the way. View quote
Barry Unsworth
I spent most of the '60s, when I was starting to try to write novels, living and working in Greece and Turkey. These are countries where the ancient past is interfused with the daily present, and I remember being struck with wonder at the constant sense of continuity and connection, the reminders that lie in wait for you at every turn. View quote
Barry Unsworth