The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say. ~Anaïs Nin
I’m starting a list of perfect similes and metaphors, ones that stopped me in my tracks. They are the words and phrases that delight, emphasize, and stun a reader and add to the joy of reading. Here are the first three:
John Seabrook’s description in The New Yorker, Dec.21 and 29, 2009 issue of architect Zaha Hadid’s hands as chilled as cutlery in an airplane’s galley."
Joseph O’Neill in his novel Netherland: “The yellow commuter train ran through canal-crossed fields as dull as graph paper.”
Colum McCann, on The New York Times Opinion Page, December 27, 2009 “I would walk the length of Dun Laoghaire pier - a moving corduroy of sea waves in front of me."
I’d love to have you add to this list simply by responding to this post or by e-mail to barbara1037@gmail.com.
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Sending one that may fit your list-
ReplyDelete"The ticking of a clock is a mechanical tyranny that turned us into servants of a machine that we created."
From Suspect by Michael Robothan
Will keep my eyes peeled for some good ones.
Happy New Year
This is from Lois H:
ReplyDelete"Add to the list: Quote from today's NYT Movie Review of "Pop Star on Ice": '...ability to spin like a bedazzled drill bit.'
"But my favorite is 'hands as chilled as cutlery in an airplane’s galley.' That somehow got to me."
From an obit for Louis Auchincloss: "Auchincloss had an old-fashioned aversion to change, and his presence could be likened to a building granted landmark status. Into his 90s, his stride was erect, his jaw line stubbornly firm, his dark, moddy eyes less windows to the soul than the most discriminating of gatekeepers."
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