151 Quotes by Marlon James

As a writer of colour, you have to be victim or perpetrator.

I always tell my students to complicate your characters: never make it easy for the reader. Nobody is ever one thing. That's what makes characters compelling.

I think the Greeks were the only people ever to nail character. Their heroes are deeply flawed.

I was the nerd. Because I was reading. I wasn't into sports. I was really into art. Very geekish about comics. Assumed gay.

A lot of time, I'd spell things in standard English instead of phonetically because I want people to understand what's going on. It's also very lyrical, and the great thing about lyrical prose is even when you're not totally sure of the words, you can be swayed by the musicality of it.

I wanted a picture of Jamaica that isn't in books, and certainly not in novels.

Some of the craziest aspects about 'Weeper' were the things I found out to be true. I mean, true of people.

My first novel, 'John Crow's Devil,' freed me up to write about the past, and 'The Book of Night Women' freed me up to have a book totally based on voice and being very spontaneous.

There was never a single murder in my neighbourhood; there was barely a robbery. It was so suburban, it was almost disappointing.