I think that the Cold War was an exceptional and unnecessary piece of cruelty.

There is a sociology of horses, as well as a psychology. It is most evident in the world of horse racing, where many horses are gathered together, where year after year, decade after decade, they do the same, rather simple thing - run in races and try to win.

Art doesn't exist if you just do what you're told. It only exists as an exercise of individual taste and freedom.

Another thing I learned is that novels, even those from apparently distant times and places, remain current and enlightening, and also comforting.

Why are we reading a Shakespeare play or 'Huckleberry Finn?' Well, because these works are great, but they also tell us something about the times in which they were created. Unfortunately, previous eras and dead authors often used language or accepted as normal sentiments that we now find unacceptable.

Before I write a novel, images float around in my head that work like icons - they are meaningless in themselves, but serve as reminders.

There weren't too many books by women that were taught in school, so I read those on my own, and the books I read were as accessible as the ones we were reading in school.