He was going through one of those moments that you read about in books, when a character reacts in an unexpectedly extreme way to the normal discontents of living.

Is it possible that even happy moments of pleasure never stand up to a rigorous examination? Possible.

Writers, because they write, are condemned never to be readers of their own stories...The memory of first putting a story into words will always prevent writers from reading their work as an ordinary reader would.

Anonymity lets me concentrate exclusively on writing.

I think our sexuality is all yet to be recounted and that the rich male literary tradition constitutes a huge obstacle.

Women, in all fields - whether mothers or not - still encounter an extraordinary number of obstacles. They have to hold too many things together and often sacrifice their aspirations in the name of affections.

I believe that books, once they are written, have no need of their authors.