I think that becoming a parent kind of made me try to be more responsible. And it made me much more stressful.

For three months, a person sits and looks at you, imagining a kiss.

You don't need to use the language of God to ask where the restrooms are.

Nobody else in the world would look at writing as craftsmanship - it's totally this Protestant hardworking ethic. You go into this kind of infinite space of imagination and you fence yourself in with all kinds of laws.

My mother, for example, told the German officer not to kill her. She'd make it worth his while. And then, when they were doing it, she pulled a knife out of her belt and sliced open his chest, just like she used to open chicken breasts to stuff with rice for the Sabbath meal.

When my books were translated, it was always about the characters, because the unique language aspect was lost in translation.

Being published in Arabic is a strong and consistent wish I have. I live in the Middle East and want to be in some sort of an unpragmatic dialogue with my neighbors.