I had no student friends to talk to about literature. My tutor was a really nice man, very charming - but he had no literary judgment.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
As an undergraduate, I had not studied literature - I was a history major.
Before college, I hadn't voluntarily read anything that might be called literature; I didn't think I'd understand it; I never seemed to understand my English teacher's interpretations of what we read.
I was a very un-literary child, which might reassure parents with kids who don't read.
When I was nine, the teacher asked us to write a piece about our village fete. He read mine in class. I was encouraged and continued. I even wanted to write my memoirs at the age of ten. At twelve I wrote poetry, mostly about friendship - 'Ode to Friendship.' Then my class wanted to make a film, and one little boy suggested that I write the script.
I did not discover literature of any kind until I was about eleven, or ten.
A surprising number of people - including many students of literature - will tell you they haven't really lived in a book since they were children. Sadly, being taught literature often destroys the life of the books.
At school I had only admirers; I had no friends.
I went to high school, which was a good thing because I hadn't interacted with many people my age, and I didn't really have friends. I had a million acquaintances and no friends.
I was a good student, sort of funny and athletic. I had friends.
I read a book a day when I was a kid. My family was not literary; we did not have any books in the house.