

“When describing nature, a writer should seize upon small details, arranging them so that the reader will see an image in his mind after he closes his eyes. For instance: you will capture the truth of a moonlit night if you'll write that a gleam like starlight shone from the pieces of a broken bottle, and then the dark, plump shadow of a dog or wolf appeared. You will bring life to nature only if you don't shrink from similes that liken its activities to those of humankind."
(Letter to Alexander Chekhov, May 10, 1886)”
―
(Letter to Alexander Chekhov, May 10, 1886)”
―

“Every story has already been told. Once you've read Anna Karenina, Bleak House, The Sound and the Fury, To Kill a Mockingbird and A Wrinkle in Time, you understand that there is really no reason to ever write another novel. Except that each writer brings to the table, if she will let herself, something that no one else in the history of time has ever had."
[Commencement Speech; Mount Holyoke College, May 23, 1999]”
―
[Commencement Speech; Mount Holyoke College, May 23, 1999]”
―

“There are a great many opinions in this world, and a good half of them are professed by people who have never been in trouble."
(The Mill)”
― The Portable Chekhov
(The Mill)”
― The Portable Chekhov

“The mind I love most must have wild places, a tangled orchard where dark damsons drop in the heavy grass, an overgrown little wood, the chance of a snake or two, a pool that nobody fathomed the depth of, and paths threaded with flowers planted by the mind.”
― Katherine Mansfield Notebooks: Complete Edition
― Katherine Mansfield Notebooks: Complete Edition
Mikela’s 2024 Year in Books
Take a look at Mikela’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
Mikela hasn't connected with their friends on Goodreads, yet.
Favorite Genres
Polls voted on by Mikela
Lists liked by Mikela