Tuesday, July 22, 2025

Arthur Phillips on fiction

 


Arthur Phillips is one of my favorite writers working today. Perhaps his background as a jazz saxophonists or his record as a five-time Jeopardy champion informs his work, since he has six novels under his belt, and no two are alike in genre, style, or subject matter. He's an inspiration to any writer hoping to break out of the single-genre ghetto.

 

Arthur Phillips at desk
"Fiction is able to do one thing better than any other art form: it is able to convey a convincing sense of what is going on in someone else's head. To me, that is the great mystery of life: what is everyone else thinking?" 



The Egyptologist cover


Favorite works

The Egyptologist

Prague

Angelica




Bonus quote:

"People who aren’t writers often say, “Oh you must have such great discipline to write every day.” It doesn’t seem that to me. What does seem disciplined is sticking to the book I am writing and not jumping ahead too much. There is a certain amount of note-taking for the next one or two or three. But not actually sitting down to write."




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Thanks a million!