anita brookner words
@anitabrooknerwords.bsky.social
Just posting quotes from the works of acclaimed novelist Anita Brookner (1928-2016) at least once a day.
The plot will unfold, with or without my help.
May 6, 2025 at 11:03 PM
The plot will unfold, with or without my help.
Under the promise of that cloudless sky it seems that our lives together have only just begun. In that sense our story will run its course, and I realize, with a lifting of the heart, that it is not yet time to close the book.
May 4, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Under the promise of that cloudless sky it seems that our lives together have only just begun. In that sense our story will run its course, and I realize, with a lifting of the heart, that it is not yet time to close the book.
She smiled sadly. 'It never goes away, does it?'
'I'm sorry?'
'The longing to be with another person.'
'I'm sorry?'
'The longing to be with another person.'
April 30, 2025 at 7:38 PM
She smiled sadly. 'It never goes away, does it?'
'I'm sorry?'
'The longing to be with another person.'
'I'm sorry?'
'The longing to be with another person.'
Dr Weiss, at forty, knew that her life had been ruined by literature.
April 27, 2025 at 1:18 AM
Dr Weiss, at forty, knew that her life had been ruined by literature.
‘You're looking well,' they both lied.
April 25, 2025 at 10:28 PM
‘You're looking well,' they both lied.
She saw now that shame and guilt were otiose; only regret was permissible.
April 25, 2025 at 2:15 AM
She saw now that shame and guilt were otiose; only regret was permissible.
Against his expectations the age of reason was proving something of a disappointment.
April 23, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Against his expectations the age of reason was proving something of a disappointment.
On his way to the Library, he was calmed, as always, by the prospect of an hour spent in the proximity of books.
April 23, 2025 at 7:49 PM
On his way to the Library, he was calmed, as always, by the prospect of an hour spent in the proximity of books.
The people whom I knew to be good somehow remained good in spite of themselves.
April 23, 2025 at 7:48 PM
The people whom I knew to be good somehow remained good in spite of themselves.
There would be no happy ending. I should have to live without such consoling fictions, as most people do.
April 22, 2025 at 9:23 PM
There would be no happy ending. I should have to live without such consoling fictions, as most people do.
I wanted, more than anything, a chance to be simple, once again, as I was meant to be, and as I had been long ago, a long, long time ago.
April 22, 2025 at 6:03 PM
I wanted, more than anything, a chance to be simple, once again, as I was meant to be, and as I had been long ago, a long, long time ago.
Problems of human behaviour still continue to baffle us, but at least in the Library we have them properly filed.
April 22, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Problems of human behaviour still continue to baffle us, but at least in the Library we have them properly filed.
Reposted by anita brookner words
When Anita Brookner decides to be funny, she knocks it out of the park. Here (from Family and Friends) matriarch Sofka grimly contemplates her prospective daughter-in-law, Evie.
March 20, 2025 at 6:45 PM
When Anita Brookner decides to be funny, she knocks it out of the park. Here (from Family and Friends) matriarch Sofka grimly contemplates her prospective daughter-in-law, Evie.
Reposted by anita brookner words
New on the blog today, I've written about A FAMILY ROMANCE (aka DOLLY) by Anita Brookner.
A superbly written novel about familial obligations, aloneness (rather than loneliness) & the value we place on relationships vs material possessions. #BookSky 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/04/01/a...
A superbly written novel about familial obligations, aloneness (rather than loneliness) & the value we place on relationships vs material possessions. #BookSky 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/04/01/a...
A Family Romance by Anita Brookner
Anita Brookner is one of my favourite novelists. She writes precise, elegant, beautifully constructed character studies, often featuring unmarried women living quietly alone. First published in 199…
jacquiwine.wordpress.com
April 1, 2025 at 6:17 AM
New on the blog today, I've written about A FAMILY ROMANCE (aka DOLLY) by Anita Brookner.
A superbly written novel about familial obligations, aloneness (rather than loneliness) & the value we place on relationships vs material possessions. #BookSky 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/04/01/a...
A superbly written novel about familial obligations, aloneness (rather than loneliness) & the value we place on relationships vs material possessions. #BookSky 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/04/01/a...
He was glad of the dark afternoon, so that he could no longer catch sight of himself.
April 21, 2025 at 7:09 PM
He was glad of the dark afternoon, so that he could no longer catch sight of himself.
For dinner they had cold meat and salad; as a concession to her foreignness there was cheese to follow.
April 21, 2025 at 7:07 PM
For dinner they had cold meat and salad; as a concession to her foreignness there was cheese to follow.
Her neighbours thought her unapproachable and therefore did not approach her.
April 21, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Her neighbours thought her unapproachable and therefore did not approach her.
He was an unbeliever: the comforts of religion had been reported to him, but they had sounded more like torments.
April 21, 2025 at 2:28 AM
He was an unbeliever: the comforts of religion had been reported to him, but they had sounded more like torments.
I saw the business of writing for what it truly was and is to me. It is your penance for not being lucky. It is an attempt to reach others and to make them love you.
April 21, 2025 at 12:41 AM
I saw the business of writing for what it truly was and is to me. It is your penance for not being lucky. It is an attempt to reach others and to make them love you.
You get a lot of borderline cases in libraries.
April 21, 2025 at 12:37 AM
You get a lot of borderline cases in libraries.
Boundaries keep people out; mine served only to keep me in.
April 21, 2025 at 12:37 AM
Boundaries keep people out; mine served only to keep me in.
The essence of romantic love is that wonderful beginning, after which sadness and impossibility may become the rule.
April 21, 2025 at 12:35 AM
The essence of romantic love is that wonderful beginning, after which sadness and impossibility may become the rule.
That sun, that light had faded, and she had faded with them. Now she was as grey as the season itself.
April 21, 2025 at 12:34 AM
That sun, that light had faded, and she had faded with them. Now she was as grey as the season itself.
For once a thing is known it can never be unknown. It can only be forgotten. And writing is the enemy of forgetfulness, or thoughtlessness. For the writer there is no oblivion. Only endless memory.
April 21, 2025 at 12:33 AM
For once a thing is known it can never be unknown. It can only be forgotten. And writing is the enemy of forgetfulness, or thoughtlessness. For the writer there is no oblivion. Only endless memory.