The quote I’m looking for is something like, “If history were better written, nobody would need to read fiction.” Or, " … nobody would read fiction." Something like that.
My Google search of “if history were better written” + “fiction” has turned up nothing. Can anyone help with the source of this quote?
TIA
The closest I could come in a cursory search was Rudyard Kipling-If history were written as stories it would never be forgotten.
Thanks–yeah I found that one, and it isn’t quite it (although I do like it).
Related, possibly:
Truth is stranger than fiction; fiction has to make sense.
-Leo Rosten
That is a great quote and so true. One of my peeves is that dull history textbooks are all written by historians rather than by novelists.
FWIW, I disagree with the quote. I generally prefer history to fiction, in part because I generally find it to be better written. As for the quote, I’ve checked my “usual sources” and come up dry. I assume you’re looking for an attribution for something you’re writing. If no one knows/finds this one, you could always use the old dodge, "as someone once said … "