When I write, the first blank page, or any blank page, means nothing to me. What means something is a page that has been filled with words.

I read the Odyssey because it was the story of a man who returned home after being absent for more than twenty years and was recognized only by his dog.

Titles are not only important, they are essential for me. I cannot write without a title

I think all writing is done through memory

I think writers rush in where everybody is very frightened to tread

I have assiduously avoided calling my books novels

I think that I've tried many times to get Cuba in my writings, especially Havana, which was once a great and fascinating city.