Alan Furst Quotest, born February 20, 1941, in New York City, is an American author celebrated as the master of the historical spy novel. His works, including Night Soldiers (1988), Dark Star (1991), and The Spies of Warsaw (2008), are set in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s, evoking the shadowy world of espionage before and during World War II. Influenced by Eric Ambler and Graham Greene, Furst has lived in Paris, infusing his novels with rich European atmosphere. His books, translated into 18 languages, avoid sensationalism, focusing on the moral complexities of ordinary people in extraordinary times. These 15 quotes—sourced from his novels, interviews, and public statements—reflect his insights on life, history, and human resilience, capturing his elegant and melancholic spirit.
15 Alan Furst Quotes
- “Wherever God has planted you, you must know how to flower—translated from a French saying.” (The Spies of Warsaw, 2008)
- “Politicians were like talking dogs in a circus: the fact that they existed was uncommonly interesting, but no sane person would actually believe what they said.” (Dark Star, 1991)
- “But the world doesn’t run on logic, it runs on the seven deadly sins and the weather.” (Red Gold, 1999)
- “Live today, for tomorrow we die.” (Night Soldiers, 1988)
- “This land, like so much of the French countryside, was a painting, but Mercier felt his heart touched with melancholy and realized, not for the first time, that beautiful places were hard on lonely people.” (The Spies of Warsaw, 2008)
- “Home at that moment was a starless night, a steady wind, not a human to be seen.” (Mission to Paris, 2012)
- “Diplomats tell lies to journalists and then believe what they read.” (The Foreign Correspondent, 2006)
- “When you are done living for yourself, only then do you learn that living for others is the privilege.” (Night Soldiers, 1988)
- “If you can live in Paris, maybe you should.” (Interview, BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “I don’t really write plots. I use history as the engine that drives everything.” (Interview, A-Z Quotes, n.d.)
- “Whether you like it or not, Paris is the beating heart of Western civilisation. It’s where it all began and ended.” (Interview, A-Z Quotes, n.d.)
- “In the ruined beds of a hundred rooms spread across the lost quarters of Europe, her ghost lay with him every night.” (Dark Star, 1991)
- “I write what I call ‘novels of consolation’ for people who are bright and sophisticated.” (Interview, QuoteFancy, 2023)
- “We are afflicted with a darkness of the soul and fall in love with our pain.” (Night Soldiers, 1988)
- “I have a very serious censorship office inside my head; it censors things that I could tell you that you would never forget, and I don’t want to be the person to stick that in your brain.” (Interview, A-Z Quotes, n.d.)
Alan Furst’s quotes are a haunting blend of poetic prose, historical grit, and quiet wisdom, inspiring readers to find courage and beauty in the shadows of the past. Which one’s got you ready to wander Paris or unravel a spy’s tale? Drop it in the comments and keep Furst’s evocative legacy thriving!
Emma Thompson
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