I'm not saying that I don't experience people in life as evil, but writing is not a place of alienation; writing is the place where we can try to be human. I think there are some artists whose works are misanthropic. When I see this kind of stuff, I think, they're smart, but I don't need art to tell me people are assholes. I can just go into the streets.

Often, the stories are very much like trust falls. You fall, and you hope the story's going to catch you.

It's funny, but I think my stories - the good ones - they're much smarter than I am.

The one who swallows cactuses with spines should not complain about hemorrhoids.

I think when you write, you should call it a "writing spree." I don't write every day, and I don't write regularly.

For my mother, having a family was the most important thing in her life. In the Second World War, it was a challenge - surviving physically and mentally and finding somebody who you loved and who was willing to be with you.

I always have a story in my head that needs to be written, or at least I think I do. But I usually can't find the time to write it.