Author

I was an observant but dreamy child. I had a lazy eye and wild curls.

Born on an island, I could swim before I could walk, thrown many times into swimming pools and warm transparent Caribbean waters: sink or swim, that was my first lesson. While I'm not a natural athlete, I'm still a strong swimmer and feel a great affinity with the sea.

From Monique Roffey

What I always knew about my parents was that they were in love, and this love had a fizz. It was exciting to be their child, to be around them. There was a dynamism between them, a charge.

From Monique Roffey

At the age of 62, my father died of cancer - it was much too soon. My mother never remarried or got over it, never even thought of another man.

From Monique Roffey

The romantic idealism of my youth has been replaced with realism and hard work at what I love.

From Monique Roffey

Apart from writing books, my 40s have been about pursuing personal growth. Whatever were the mistakes of my earlier life, I've been committed to a pause, a regroup. I don't want to make the same mistakes in the future.

From Monique Roffey

My parents had a long and eventful marriage and were always a bit like movie stars to me when they were young.

From Monique Roffey

Trinidad's language is a fusion of English, African, and French, and so we have our own words and even our own dictionary. Steupse is a common local word, and it's the onomatopoeic word for the sound people make to show disapproval, or to show they are vexed, when they suck their teeth together.

From Monique Roffey

Trinidadians love speaking their own English; it's full of poetic forms and can be playful and lyrical and comical. Trinidadians are verbal acrobats, and I love being on the island just to hear the people speak.

From Monique Roffey

While I am most at home in London, I cannot really label myself as either British or Trinidadian. I write in the English language and live in the U.K. I find it hard to say that I am an entirely British writer, especially when I supported Trinidad in the 2006 World Cup and also support the West Indies cricket team.

From Monique Roffey

Monique Roffey

Notable Quotes

Authors with Similar Views

Peter Doig

Kerry Washington

Richard Branson

Salman Rushdie

V. S. Naipaul

Authors with Opposing Views

Alden Ehrenreich

Brit Marling

Christian Camargo

Gail Porter

Holly Madison