‘Let me make it clear that I never attend literary conferences. I know that they're held in art deco hotels close to legendary museums; that sessions on the future of the novel are conducted with camaraderie, brio and bonhomie.’
Let me make it clear that I never attend literary conferences. I know that they’re held in art deco hotels close to legendary museums; that sessions on the future of the novel are conducted with camaraderie, brio and bonhomie; that the impromptu friendships always endure; and that after the work i…
Sign in to Granta.com.
‘I think there should be a National Service of Hospitality. The best way to see the true face of humanity is to serve it a plate of chips.’
Camilla Grudova on bad-mannered customers.
‘Anyone who has ever worked night shifts will understand the vertiginous feeling that comes with staring down the day from the wrong end.’
A.K. Blakemore on working nights.
‘I was constantly reading job ads, trying to find my holy grail – a job I could stand to do, and someone foolish enough to hire me.’
Sandra Newman on learning how to play professional blackjack.
‘I loved being a receptionist. What I loved about it was playing the part of being a receptionist.’
Emily Berry on being a temporary office worker.
‘Every part of you would swell, including your eyeballs, and no matter how much water you drank, you were always dehydrated.’
Junot Díaz on working for a steel mill.
‘They had dined well at no. 261 Landstrasse, and now passed eagerly into the music room.’
‘We still miss Miss Winstanley very much. She was a lovely lady, and certainly the life and soul of the party around Pilcher House during her time here.‘
‘Naturally the artist is misunderstood. That is normal, and after a while becomes familiar.’
Julian Barnes shares a view of London from his childhood.
‘We just do not think that it’s for the Germans to say to us what kind of Jews we should be, what kind of project we should be part of.’
George Prochnik in conversation with Emily Dische-Becker and Eyal Weizman, before 7 October 2023.
