Meg Waite Clayton

Author of the international bestsellers The Postmistress of Paris, The Last Train to London, and 6 other novels

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Garrison Keillor on Humor and Rejection

I came across a delightful interview of Garrison Keillor today. Perhaps these two quotes will tempt you to click through to the whole interview?
“Humor needs to come in under cover of darkness, in disguise, and surprise people.”
“Well, when The New Yorker rejected work, they did it in an elaborately polite way, apologizing for their shortsightedness, that undoubtedly it was their fault, but somehow this story fell slightly short of your remarkably high standard. They had a way of rejecting my work that made me feel sorry for them, somehow.”
Tempted? It’s an oldie but goodie, from The Paris Review Interviews, Fall 1995. – Meg

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Meg Waite Clayton


Meg Waite Clayton is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of nine novels, including the forthcoming TYPEWRITER BEACH (Harper, July 1, 2025), the Good Morning America Buzz pick and New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice THE POSTMISTRESS OF PARIS, the National Jewish Book Award finalist THE LAST TRAIN TO LONDON, the Langum-Prize honored THE RACE FOR PARIS, and THE WEDNESDAY SISTERS, one of Entertainment Weekly’s 25 Essential Best Friend Novels of all time. Her novels have been published in 23 languages. She has also written more than 100 pieces for major newspapers, magazines, and public radio, mentors in the OpEd Project, and is a member of the National Book Critics Circle and the California bar. megwaiteclayton.com