The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Quotations

by Peter Kemp (Editor)

This newly expanded edition of the acclaimed Oxford Dictionary of Literary Quotations illuminates the world of the writer, from Shakespeare to Stephen King, from the quill to the PC. Covering all aspects of literary life, this edition is now enriched with new themes and memorable quotations
from recent favorites such as Jonathan Franzen, J.K. Rowling, and Donna Tartt.
Celebrating over 3,000 years of writing, the dictionary's 4,000 quotations are arranged thematically and chronologically by author within each topic. Full keyword and author indexes ensure that a favorite quotation or author can be located quickly. From "Tools of the Trade" to "Writer's Block",
from "Fables and Fairy Tales" to "Earning a Living," The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Quotations brings us the wittiest, most profound, most surprising, and most memorable words of the world's greatest writers on all aspects of their lives and work.

Genres: Reference, Collections, Writing, Nonfiction, Literary Fiction, Dictionaries

510 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: This new expanded edition of Peter Kemp's acclaimed collection illuminates the world of the writer, from classical literature to crime fiction and from the quill to the PC. Organized by subject, it includes topics ranging from Tools of the Trade and Writer's Block to Ghost Stories and Critics. Shakespeare, Shaw, and Johnson have their say, but authors also include Alice Munro on Illustration and Pushkin on Earning a Living, A. D. Hope on Fables and Fairytales, Rimbaud on Baudelaire and Harold Pinter on Omission. New themes in this edition include Graffiti and Epitaphs, and there are many more quotations by writers on other writers: Ben Okri on Cervantes, Walter de la Mare on Lewis Carroll, and Philip Roth on William Faulkner. The long uphill struggle in playwriting is getting to the top of page one. - Tom Stoppard I'd love to write a book a year, but I don't think I'd have any fans. - Donna Tartt Lads don't write novels. They're down the pub. - Martin Amis on Ladlit You reach an age when every sentence you write bumps into one you wrote thirty years ago. - John Updike Reading...is a strenuous and pleasurable contact sport. - Maureen Howard There were no innocent blondes in crime fiction. - Ed McBain Never make your publisher pay the postage is the first rule of literary life. - Julian Barnes

[Faith-Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful quotation reference book.