Nicole Krauss on Writing and Motherhood

From an interview with the Guardian (February 12, 2011):

“There was a moment, quite a long moment, after my son was born when I wondered whether my ambition would return to me. I remember saying to my mom: my inner life has gone. But eventually, it flowed back, and when it did, I was surprised how much depth of feeling flooded into the work. Everything… trembled. And now, I’m so grateful for my inner life; it’s almost visceral, when I’m working and alone.” She smiles. “I take real pleasure in thinking.”

Nicole Krauss possesses a particular talent for words that inspires both lust and envy (perhaps the two most conjoined of the Sins). Sometimes, you forget that the writer is another human, feeling and experiencing some of the same, very-human things that we do. So, when looking at reviews and interviews concerning Great House (my current read), I stumbled upon the above quote and it reminded me that even a writer I revere can have that moment of self-doubt when stepping over the threshold of motherhood. And, at the same time, can come out of it victorious.