Literature overtakes history, for literature gives you more than one life. It expands experience and opens new opportunities to readers.

Diplomacy in a sense is the opposite of writing. You have to disperse yourself so much: the lady who comes in crying because shes had a fight with the secretary; exports and imports; students in trouble; thumbtacks for the embassy.

The United States condoned dictatorships in Latin America for much of the 20th century.

I need, therefore I imagine.

I live through risk. Without risk there is no art. You should always be on the edge of a cliff about to fall down and break your neck.

Anything would be better in the US than what you have. As a government it's really very low quality, given the fact that this country produces eminent intellectuals, has great universities, and then the people who arrive in government are very mediocre. The Latin American situation has been very different in the first place, because writers have spoken for those who have no voice. The rate of illiteracy, poverty, joblessness in Latin America has been so great throughout our history that if the writers didn't speak out for the people, nobody would.

Literature overtakes history, for literature gives you more than one life. It expands experience and opens new opportunities to readers.