The human longing for story is so powerful, so primitive, that it seems like something not learned, but locked into our genes.

It is a violation which has obsessed the tyrants of the twentieth century. They do not want simply to kill their opponents, but to liquidate them, to deny that they have ever existed.

As individuals, we are shaped by story from the time of birth; we are formed by what we are told by our parents, our teachers, our intimates.

A problem with a piece of writing often clarifies itself if you go for a long walk.

I was always influenced by language.

I concentrate on the lives of individuals whom the reader comes to know and feel with intimately.

We are creatures of story.