“I’ve always been fascinated with this sense that every single person walking down the street has a whole story. …And nobody ever really knows it, because we only tell parts of our story to different people, and oh, I just want to know it so much! I always have, so I make it up.”
Hephzibah Anderson, “Books interview: Elizabeth Strout: ‘All ordinary people are extraordinary,’” The Guardian, Sept 7, 2024.
“The two characters that I have written who are older are Olive Kitteridge and Lucy Barton. It’s interesting because as I wrote them it was their character that was most important to me, and their age was simply a piece of that character. So even though I knew I was writing about older people I didn’t think about that in a way, except to make sure they were always who they were.”
“Strout describes her writing style as that of “an embroiderer” – “I will pick it up and embroider a little green line, and come back later and embroider a leaf or something” – and her novels, intricately and painstakingly crafted, overlap and intertwine to create an instantly recognisable fictional landscape.”
Lisa Allardice, “Interview: Elizabeth Strout: ‘There’s a quiet rumbling of violence in America. Is it going to expand and explode?,’” Books, The Guardian, September 24, 2022.
“No-one writes interior life as Strout does. This is meticulous observed writing, full of probing psychological insight. Lucy Barton is one of literature’s immortal characters – brittle, damaged, unravelling, vulnerable and most of all, ordinary, like us all.”
Profile and collection of features including written interviews, an article on the Lucy Barton series, a Reading Guide (for bookclubs and individual readers), a video Q&A with readers, and two short videos featuring Anna Friel reading extracts from Oh William!
“Elizabeth Strout,” Authors, the Booker Prize Library, The Booker Prizes website, September 6, 2022.
“With Oh William! shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2022, we spoke to Elizabeth Strout about her intimate characterisation, the importance of listening and what’s next for Lucy Barton.”
“‘Elizabeth Strout interview: 'I could feel myself getting better with each story',” Features, The Booker Library, The Booker Prizes website, September 6, 2022.Sign up for Elizabeth’s newsletter, with exclusive content from Elizabeth to her readers.