Quote by Hisham Matar: “Memory is a stubborn thing; it insists on living.”

This quote suggests that memories, especially powerful ones, have a persistent will of their own. Even when we try to suppress or forget them, they stubbornly remain, continuing to influence our thoughts and feelings, proving how deeply they're woven into our being.

From 'The Return,' this observation reflects Matar's personal struggle with the haunting memories of his father's disappearance and Libya's political turmoil. It speaks to the involuntary nature of recollection and the enduring power of the past, even when one wishes to move on.

Libyan-British novelist who won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography in 2017 for The Return, a memoir about searching for his father who disappeared into Gaddafi's prisons. His novel In the Country of Men was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2006.