A novel, in the end, is a container, a shape which you are trying to pour your story into. — Helen Dunmore
My first collection of poems was published by bloodaxe books, which was then a very new imprint. — Helen Dunmore
However, the difficulties and pleasures of the writing itself are similar for a novel — Helen Dunmore
Fiction came quite a while later. I began with short stories and fiction for children. — Helen Dunmore
As individuals, we are shaped by story from the time of birth; we are formed by what we are told — Helen Dunmore
I enjoy research; in fact research is so engaging that it would be easy to go on for years, and never write the novel at all. — Helen Dunmore
I didn’t choose russia but russia chose me. I had been fascinated from an early age by the culture — Helen Dunmore
I concentrate on the lives of individuals whom the reader comes to know and feel with intimately. — Helen Dunmore
I can remember being in my pram: children stayed in their prams much longer then than they do now. — Helen Dunmore
I have learned so much from working with other poets, travelling and reading with them — Helen Dunmore
Mourning ruby is not a flat landscape: it is more like a box with pictures painted on every face. — Helen Dunmore
If we understand the past, we are more likely to recognise what is happening around us. — Helen Dunmore
The language has got to be fully alive – I can’t bear dull, flaccid writing myself and — Helen Dunmore