I cringe when critics say I'm a master of the popular novel. What's an unpopular novel?

I imagine that my characters have become much more complicated than when I first began, which would be normal

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.

I'm not as hopeful as I was when I was young

I've gone on the wagon, but my body doesn't believe it.

The great writers just kept bringing them out. They didn't care if they repeated themselves.

My favorite short-story writer is John Cheever