"The world of publishing is in crisis: publishers sell hot titles at massive discounts to supermarkets, driving independent publishers out of business. I remember when the last Harry Potter title came out, I think it was Harry Potter and the Crock of Shit. Remember that? Or Harry Potter and the Mitten of Wool? Or Harry Potter and the Stick of Wood. Or Harry Potter and the Forest of Embarrassment. Or Harry Potter and the meh meh meh. Anyway, I was in Tesco’s, and they were literally delivering the new Harry Potter books on forklift trucks, on pallets, into the supermarket. "Get your books! Pile up the books! Get a multi-pack of books! Why not take an extra book home, put it in the freezer?" You know, those Harry Potter books, you know they’re for children, don’t you? They’re aimed at children. People do that to me, "Have you read the new Harry Potter book, Stew, it’s good, have you read it?" No, I haven’t read it, because I’m a forty-year-old man. "You should read it, Stew, it’s about a wizard in a school." I’m not reading it! I’m a grown— I’m an adult! "Have you read Harry Potter, Stew, and the— and the Tree of Nothing?" No, I haven’t. I haven’t read it, but I have read the complete works of the romantic poet and visionary William Blake. So fuck off."
React to this quote
More by Stewart Lee
See allResonant Thoughts
"Once it got really big with Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, there wasn't much mentioned about us. All those bands put out records around the same time, and we hadn't put one out in two years. I do…"
Explore Further
Related Quotes
"Booksellers are the most valuable destination for the lonely, given the numbers of books that were written …"
— Alain de Botton"A book is a good substitute for a man. Fiction, preferably."
— Kamala Surayya"I found that when I talked to them in abstract terms, my ideas were not understood. The irony of it was tha…"
— Richard Wright"I never read an author twice if I can't trust him or her to make it come out right. I never read an author …"
— Sheri S. Tepper"There are real people. There are people that ain't out to get you and your family. There's real people read…"
— Alex Jones"The subject-matter of this book is sadhana. There are not many books like this on this subject showing such…"
— Anirvan

