The process of book writing for me is entirely one of trial and error.

Have more than one idea on the go at any one time. If it's a choice between writing a book and doing nothing I will always choose the latter. It's only if I have an idea for two books that I choose one rather than the other. I ­always have to feel that I'm bunking off from something.

I always hope to come up with a style of writing that's appropriate to the material and I felt like this was. And then there's plenty of - I don't know if it's the right word but - lampooning, but it's always at my expense.

These days any self-respecting exhibition of nude photos has to have pornographically explicit images to prove that they are works of art.

It's this thing that's going on all the time - aging. Paul Auster quotes the poet George Opren on growing old: "What a strange thing to happen to a little boy." Which I think is so profound.

Nine times out of 10, the most charming thing to say in any given situation will be the exact opposite of what one really feels.

Life is bearable even when it's unbearable: that is what's so terrible, that is the unbearable thing about it.