Barbara Kingsolver

"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."

4 likes

Source: Barbara Kingsolver (2011). “Pigs in Heaven”, p.8, Faber & Faber

About the author

Barbara Kingsolver

Barbara Kingsolver

Author, Biologist

Barbara Kingsolver is an acclaimed American author known for her novels that intertwine themes of nature, community, and social justice, notably 'The Poisonwood Bible'.

All quotes by Barbara Kingsolver →

Same author

More quotes by Barbara Kingsolver

See all →
Barbara Kingsolver Author, Biologist

"There's a graveyard in northern France where all the dead boys from D-Day are buried. The white crosses reach from one horizon to the other. I remember looking it over and thinking it was a forest of graves. But the rows were like this, dizzying, diagonal, perfectly straight, so after all it wasn't a forest but an orchard of graves. Nothing to do with nature, unless you count human nature."

Read quote
Barbara Kingsolver Author, Biologist

"Finally, cooking is good citizenship. It's the only way to get serious about putting locally raised foods into your diet, which keeps farmlands healthy and grocery money in the neighborhood."

Read quote