There is no such thing as a secure writer: every novel is an impossible mountain.
What else has a journalist to do these days, after all, but report life's miseries?
I used to think it was clever to confuse comedy with tragedy. Now I wish I could distinguish them.
But I think the real tension lies in the relationship between what you might call the pursuer and his quarry, whether it's the writer or the spy.
It's the oldest question of all, George. Who can spy on the spies?
I was quite able at the insignificant work I did in MI6, but absolutely dysfunctional in my domestic life. I had no experience of fatherhood. I had no example of marital bliss or the family unit.