Permanence
By writing fiction I have discovered some surprising things: for example that describing memories does not necessarily bring them to life. It can be the opposite: in the process of writing fiction I have overwritten some of my own memories. The act of writing has replaced them with something different, and I’ve effectively lost some of my own
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This is how love works—you may begin for pure reasons, or egocentric and performative reasons, but in the end it has to be earnest. Our lives are short. We should read what we love and spend time with those we love. And if the world is full of writers who can model a kind of “reverse poptimism,” an unfeigned enthusiasm for the greatest works—then,... See more