God, Jeanette Winterson is SO annoying

[UnquietDad]

So annoyed by this quote from this interview:

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'As you can see, I don't wear a watch,' Jeanette says. 'And once I am doing my work, I have no idea what time it is or how much time has passed. Time is internal, isn't it?' She loves the way children have 'no sense of time' and regards 'quality time' as a 'ghastly obscenity'.

Oh, well, good for you, Jeanette. I suppose someone who has never had to do a school run, never had to bath children and spends all her fucking time lounging around in cafes and selling over-priced organic tat in a poncy London shop doesn't need to know something as prosaic as the time.

Given that her entire life is "quality time", I'm not surprised she doesn't recognise it as a luxury.

I agree, v irritating

Interesting. I think perhaps if she had more sense of time her books wouldn't be so waffley.

It's funny isn't it - something very strange happens to time when you read one of her books. A moment seems to last for hours.

a tad hd?

i changed from someone with the most elastic attitude with time and gave me palpatations i was so late sometimes..days, once or twice!
now i can hit an appointment on the dot... and if i want to can tut tut at lateness of others from high place...

i did like her oranges are not the only fruit, 'kindly light'...

will read interview, i liked your description of her though...

I love her writing; her prose is poetic and mesmorising. The PowerBook is superb.

Granted, she is quite irritating in interviews. But to resent her because she's never had to do the school run is just silly. She's chosen her way of life; it's not less valid because she doesn't have to wipe snot from a small person's nose. You sound jealous UnquietDad!

I tried to read it but I'm not that interested in Jeanette WInterton - all I know of her is that her book was serialised on tv eons ago (or was it a one off?).

Anyway I found it boring, just skim read it.
I don't really care if she thinks there's a parallel universe or if she sped hotfoot to deliver someones baby.

Call me a Philistine.

I don't wear a watch and know internally when it's time to get to school, do my work etc !!! think you're being a bit harsh and unkind,Unquiet, and I'm not a fan of her writing...

She is annoying I agree, and she doesn't have much of an ordinary life in terms of the things you mention - schl run, worrying about cash, childcare.

However, I think she has a point with the notion of 'quality time' but maybe from another angle than the way she meant it. I think the notion of quality time is a burden to beat ourselves with. I don't think historically there was ever a notion of 'quality time' - kids just got on with it and parents played with them when they wanted to - wanted being the important word.

Really I think the idea of quality time is bad for childcare. Forget it, play with them when you want, then its not a chore and you don't feel guilty when your not on your hands and knees.

yes, agree with you there about 'quality time' niceglasses

£5.10 is a lot for a bar of chocolate.

phew, only two people think I am being unkind! Thought I was going to get roasted.....

If I had £6 to spend and were in her neck of the woods, I'd be more likely to spend it on one of her poncy choc bars than on one of her books.

oh she is madly annoying
andnot as talented as she thinks she is

Great, I''ll not wear a watch then and be late for all my lessons. And the kids can all arrive at different times too.

How lucky she is for 'Time to be internal'

Poncetastic

some people do have an internal clock that is pretty accurate, though

Not good enough to let them know that it was 9.10 and time to go to lesson 1, 10.20 and time to go to lesson 2 etc etc