Although many of his other novels are brilliant there is a power in 'Oliver Twist' that I believe Dickens never managed to retrieve. It is as if he was sent to this earth with the sole purpose of writing this book.

The evil always comes from details.

I do not understand how on earth you can become a writer without seeing the world.

When I was a very young author, I knew I needed to build myself a tower outside of Europe. Like when you're a hunter, and build towers to watch the animals move. I knew I would never understand the world without that perspective. I came to Africa for that rational reason, although I love Mozambique now.

My mother did what many men do. She left.

Justice doesn't only mean that the people who commit crime are punished. It also means that we can never give up seeking the truth.

I'm not very much of a reader really, because I find much of it very bad, very uninteresting, very speculative.