Curiously, the United States is full of writers who have one big work in their life and that's all.

An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment the world hands out and the punishment he inflicts upon himself.

There are too many books I haven’t read, too many places I haven’t seen, too many memories I haven’t kept long enough.

The romantic idea is that everybody around a writer must suffer for his talent. I think a writer is a citizen of humanity, part of his nation, part of his family. He may have to make some compromises.

All writers are the same - they forget a thousand good reviews and remember one bad one.

In a novel, it's hard to keep track of everybody

I haven't stuck to any formula. Most great writers stick to the same style, but I wanted to be more various