Ever since childhood, I’ve been interested in history and myth. Not just the facts and figures of the past, but everything that contributes to shape our perception of an age: architecture, art, literature and so forth. – Anne Fortier
While at Oxford in 1999, I met Jonathan Fortier, who is a Montreal-born Canadian. Despite the challenges of a transatlantic relationship, we remained keen on each other and eventually married in 2002. – Anne Fortier
I absolutely believe the past had its share of warrior women who fought like men. Whether some of these were the actual Amazons from Greek myth is another matter. – Anne Fortier
Even as I pursued a doctorate in the history of ideas in my native Denmark, I realized I had neither the encyclopedic training nor the passion for cool logic – not to mention the nerve – to follow in the footsteps of classical liberal philosophers and economists such as Robert Nozick, Friedrich Hayek, and Milton Friedman. – Anne Fortier
A novel is, hopefully, the starting point of a conversation, one in which the author engages readers and asks that they see things from a different point of view than they might otherwise. – Anne Fortier
I’m from Europe, and I was very aware that there are a lot of literature snobs – especially in Europe. As soon as something becomes a success, it has to be bad, and then they’ll do everything they can to stab it to death. – Anne Fortier
In many ways, a degree in the history of ideas is the ideal training for an aspiring writer. – Anne Fortier
Within the realm of fiction, it is always tempting to set one’s stories in a dystopian future, where all our misgivings about state power can be shown in full force. – Anne Fortier
I was in Siena and decided I wanted to write a story set there. Then I discovered that the original story of Romeo and Juliet was set in Siena. It occurred to me that this was too much of a gift – I had to do it. That’s how I ended up writing a parallel story to Romeo and Juliet. – Anne Fortier
