Well I don't feel sectarian against sparseness, although I sometimes get a little chippy about this. I resent the way that a certain notion of parsimony has become the norm for skilful literary writing.

- China Mieville

Doesn't all experience crumble in the end to mere literary material?

- Ellen Glasgow

I think that writers of literary fiction would do well to read more books for children.

- Eleanor Catton

I wanted to be a literary writer, so I wrote story after story and sent them to 'The New Yorker.'

- Diane Mott Davidson

'Cerebus' is my attempt at a literary work.

- Dave Sim

But it's not just a game of finding literary references.

- Dan Simmons

Tragedy is a literary concept.

- David Hockney

I like to be entertained, not smothered with 'literary' riddles.

- Dan Jenkins

If I'd stayed on in London and carried on going to literary parties, it would have wrecked me as a writer.

- Colin Wilson

You're more likely to finish a book you enjoy, than one that feels like literary drudgery.

- Carmen Agra Deedy

I was a businessman for 16 years of my life, so when I started writing, I wanted to keep my literary identity separate.

- Ashwin Sanghi

Historians are the consummate hairdressers of the literary world: cooing in public, catty in private.

- Craig Brown

Hinde Esther Kreitman is a forgotten literary foremother, her works largely lost, ignored and out of print.

- Clive Sinclair

I have no literary fears.

- Carlos Fuentes

I am a literary animal. For me, everything ends in literature.

- Carlos Fuentes

Bridget Jones is part of literary lore now and actually to be a part of it is enormously flattering.

- Colin Firth

Two fundamental literary qualities: supernaturalism and irony.

- Charles Baudelaire

I have no idea how people think of literary agents. Truthfully, I don't think they think of them very often.

- Bill Clegg

We don't genuinely need more literary geniuses. One can only read so many books in a lifetime.

- Bill James

I use the language I use to my friends. They wouldn't believe me if I used some high-flown literary language. I want them to believe me.

- Adrian Mitchell