In this century the writer has carried on a conversation with madness. We might almost say of the twentieth-century writer that he aspires to madness. Some have made it, of course, and they hold special places in our regard. To a writer, madness is a final distillation of self, a final editing down. It's the drowning out of false voices.
Don DeLilloStories are consoling, fiction is one of the consolation prizes for having lived in the world.
Don DeLilloIt's true that some of us become better writers by living long enough. But this is also how we become worse writers. The trick is to die in between.
Don DeLilloWe seem to believe it is possible to ward off death by following rules of good grooming.
Don DeLillo