My belief that the publishing industry is run by prigs and cowards dates back to many years before I even had the idea for the book.

Feminism now seems to be defined as success is defined: as being as good at capitalism as men are. I feel very estranged from it.

Women still get angry at me. I mean, men go after me sometimes, but most of the bad responses come from women.

I never asked anybody to take me seriously.

I don't think that if I had spent the time that I was in, say, Belgrade, writing about my time in Trieste, which is where I had just been, that would have been productive. I told myself: take extensive notes while you're there, do the research part of it, and then pray, pray, the muses will be available when the actual 'ready' happens.

American culture never necessarily made sense to me, but they should warn you: leaving comes with a huge sense of alienation that never goes away.

I don't think that I can be settled and I don't think that I would ever want to be.