Writing for the theater, you find yourself living a nocturnal life

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.

If you're young enough, any kind of writing you do for a short period of time is a marvelous apprenticeship.

I am forced to say that I have many fiercer critics than myself.

I never drink while I'm working, but after a few glasses I get ideas that would never have occurred to me dead sober.

Every novelist has a different purpose-and often several purposes which might even be contradictory.

I never show anything to anybody until I've finished it