What's Next? discussion

“As soon as we die, we enter into fiction. Just ask two different family members to tell you about someone recently gone, and you will see what I mean”.

“ … a myth is not a falsehood; it is a truth cast into symbol and metaphor”.

“Artists are often asked to state their intention. They sometimes try. But really, this question is the wrong way round. Intention evolves as a result of capacity. You don’t know what you’re doing, until you try to do it. As capacity increases, so does ambition. But when it comes to getting the words on the page, you can only work breath by breath, line by line.”


Hilary Mantel collection of essays, published posthumously.

Wonderful collection, drawing from essays and articles, including insights on fiction and historical writing and modern life, and very personal stories. The movie and book reviews perhaps could have been omitted, although the writing is as strong as the essays. The Reith Lectures are excellent, as are the final chapters on the writing of Wolf Hall and her views on ghosts. 4.5 rounded up.