I think American literature is in a tedious place, horrible place. I can't even engage with it.

I would never tell anybody to get a divorce.

A wild appreciation of men and women . . . who passionately and fearlessly and recklessly redefine romance. . . . The passionate creatures who refuse to play it safe and settle down now have an intelligent, like-minded advocate.

I knew my motivations for going to each place and what I was looking for. If I don't do that then I generally don't write about my travels.

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.

I wish other people would write about loneliness more. It's hard to remember that it's not personal. We live in a world that is built to make people lonely... It's difficult to remember that your loneliness is not really about you and everyone has it.

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.