Literary Entertainment Quotes

Experience has shown me that standing by oneself reading from one's book isn't especially compelling - unless you're David Sedaris.

I am an old-fashioned storyteller. I try to make people laugh and cry. A fiction writer's duty is to entertain. If you can sneak in something profound or symbolic, so much the better.

A novel can educate to some extent, but first a novel has to entertain. That's the contract with the reader: you give me ten hours and I'll give you a reason to turn every page. I have a commitment to accessibility. I believe in plot. I want an English professor to understand the symbolism while at the same time I want the people I grew up with - who may not often read anything but the Sears catalog - to read my books.

I heard David Sedaris read live recently which was a complete delight. Few writers make me laugh out loud on the bus. He does.

You sort of suspect if a book's fun to write, it will be fun to read.

Short stories amount for the most part to parlour tricks, party favours with built-in snappers, gadgets for including recognition and reversals

Whether early or late, the Parker novels are all superlative literary entertainments.

One of my biggest goals, especially with writing YA novels, is just to have people enjoy reading.

The liveliest effusions of wit and humour are simply what the reader of a novel has a right to expect.