My God, he couldn't help thinking, how terrible it is to be that age, to have emotions so near the surface that the slightest turbulence causes them to boil over. That, very simply, was what adulthood must be all about -- acquiring the skill to bury things more deeply. Out of sight and, whenever possible, out of mind.
Richard RussoIt's no secret that in my books I'm trying to make the comic and the serious rub up against each other just as closely and uncomfortably as I can.
Richard RussoI was pretty dead set against ever writing an academic novel. It's always been my view that there are already more than enough academic novels and that most of them aren't any good. Most of them are self-conscious and bitter, the work of people who want to settle grudges.
Richard RussoWho but an English professor would threaten to kill a duck a day and hold up a goose as an example?
Richard RussoYou can be interested in a Jane Smiley novel whether or not anyone says a word. She enters into her characters thoughts with great understanding and depth.
Richard Russo