Writing is a consequence of having been 'haunted' by material. Why this is, no one knows.

A lot of widows feel that they have betrayed their spouse by continuing to live. It's deranged thinking. I know that, but that doesn't stop you feeling it.

I could never take the idea of religion very seriously.

. . . there is a wish in the heart of mankind to be distracted and confused. Truth is but one attraction, and not always the most powerful.

One writes to memorialize, and to bring to life again that which has been lost.

An actress wants to be seen. An actress wants to be loved. By multitudes of people, not just one lone man.

I can't imagine a mental life, a spiritual existence, not inextricably bound up with language of a formal, mediated nature. Telling stories, choosing an appropriate language with which to tell the story: This seems to me quintessentially human, one of the great adventures of our species.