- [on being asked why he doesn't explore social problems in his writing] That's not the only thing that an author writes about. That's an important thing to do, but it's not the only thing. I think that literature can say quite a lot about the problems of the world by adopting a positive approach. You can actually make profound comments on the world's suffering, but you do it in a slightly different way.
- I enjoy writing about women. I don't know why exactly I chose to have women characters. i think possibly it is the way women look at the world, given the difficulties they overcome in their working lives.
- I am very fond of art. It is a form of communication, principally about the communication of beauty. I don't have a great deal of time for [conceptual art]. I'm more interested in the ability of art to say something about beauty.
- I do find the depiction of ordinary life very attractive. I think that's it's because - if you want get a sense of life, of a place or a person - you have to, I suppose, look at the small parts. They create a sense of the living whole.
- Mma Ramotswe realized that her instinct had been right: this free beauty treatment came at the cost of a favour. Well, that was how the world worked, and she knew that she should not be surprised. Life was a matter of exchanges; you did things for people and they did things for you. And it had to be that way, because you started life with the assistance of the one who brought you into the world - the midwife - and you ended it with the assistance of those who laid you in the ground. Between those two extremes, you often needed the help of others; you needed their company, you needed their love, and they, in turn, needed those things from you.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content