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Colm Toibin Quotes


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Quotes by Colm Toibin

Showing 1-10 of 60 Quotes by Colm Toibin

It may be enough to study history in all its nuance and ambiguity for its own sake. But there is no country free of the need to find new ways of reading the past as an inspiring way of thinking about everything else, including the present.

~Colm Toibin

Topics: About Ambiguity Country Else Enough Everything Everything Else Find Free History Including Inspiring May Need New New Ways No Country Nuance Own Past Present Reading Sake Study Study History Thinking Way Ways

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I said that when I looked at photographs of the firefighters who went into the Twin Towers, their faces looked to me like Irish faces. I hadn't yet learnt how careful outsiders have to be when talking about race in America, and I'd put my foot in it. Someone stood up and said aggressively, 'What do you mean by Irish faces?'

~Colm Toibin

Topics: About America Careful Faces Firefighters Foot How Irish Learnt Like Looked Me Mean Outsiders Photographs Put Race Said Someone Stood Talking Towers Twin Up Who You

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I am violently untidy. My desk is overcrowded. I write my first drafts in longhand in a long notebook using a plastic throwaway fountain pen. Then I work on a word processor using a different desk and a different room.

~Colm Toibin

Topics: Am Desk Different Drafts First Fountain Fountain Pen Long Longhand Notebook Pen Plastic Room Then Using Violently Word Work Write I Am I Write

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I have to write a first draft with a fountain pen before I type it up as a second.

~Colm Toibin

Topics: Before Draft First Fountain Fountain Pen Pen Second Type Up Write

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I think the whole business of people emigrating was that no one ever told them, although everyone knew, especially if it was to the United States, that it was forever, and the party before you left was called an 'American wake,' in the sense that they knew you wouldn't come back.

~Colm Toibin

Topics: Although American Back Before Business Come Ever Everyone Forever Knew Left Party People Sense States Them Think United United States Wake Whole You I Think

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The problem is once you've written the opening paragraph and worked out how the rest of the story will go in your head, there's nothing in it for you. I write in longhand using disposable fountain pens on the right-hand side of the notebook for the first draft, then I rewrite some of the sentences and paragraphs on the left-hand side.

~Colm Toibin

Topics: Disposable Draft First Fountain Go Head How Longhand Notebook Nothing Once Opening Out Paragraph Paragraphs Pens Problem Rest Rewrite Sentences Side Some Story Then Using Will Worked Write Written You Your I Write

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I went to live in Barcelona in 1975, when I was twenty. Even before I went there, I knew more about the Spanish Civil War than I did about the Irish Civil War. I liked Barcelona, and then I grew to like a place in the Catalan Pyrenees called the Pillars, especially an area between the village of Flavors and the high mountains around it.

~Colm Toibin

Topics: About Area Around Barcelona Before Between Civil Civil War Did Even Flavors Grew High Irish Knew Like Liked Live More Mountains Pillars Place Spanish Than Then Twenty Village War

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In my 20s, as I began to travel in Europe, I found comfort in religious paintings. Even though my own belief in Catholic dogma had been shaken and weakened, I found that the beauty and the richness of the art still held me.

~Colm Toibin

Topics: Art Beauty Been Began Belief Catholic Comfort Dogma Europe Even Found Had Held Me My Own Own Paintings Religious Richness Shaken Still Though Travel Weakened

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The old Victorian laws against homosexuality were still on the statute books until the early 1990s. As a gay man living in Ireland, I and people like me found it easy to feel less than citizens.

~Colm Toibin

Topics: Against Books Citizens Early Early 1990S Easy Feel Found Gay Homosexuality Ireland Laws Less Like Living Man Me Old People Still Than Until Victorian Were 1990S

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You create a world away from home and make new rooms for yourself. But when you arrive back home in your old rooms, the world you've made for yourself ceases to be real. Everything seems to crumble. Anyone who's been sent away to boarding school can understand that.

~Colm Toibin

Topics: Anyone Arrive Away Back Be Real Been Boarding Boarding School Ceases Create Crumble Everything Home Made Make New Old Real Rooms School Seems Sent Understand World You Your Yourself

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Biography

Nationality: Irish

Type: Novelist

Born: May 30th, 1955

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