Art is about freedom of expression, and should not be molded to fit any propaganda or lofty ideal.

When people say there is too much violence in my books, what they are saying is there is too much reality in life.

I don't think I'm morbid by nature. Serious writers have always written about serious subjects. Lighthearted material doesn't appeal to me, and I don't read it. I think I'm a realist, with a realistic sensibility of history and the tragedy of history.

Each genre exerts a considerable spell, as a kind of "form" to be filled, as a Shakespearean sonnet is filled.

I learned long ago that being Lewis Carroll was infinitely more exciting than being Alice.

Keeing busy" is the remedy for all the ills in America. It's also the means by which the creative impulse is destroyed.

I did not consider that I would lead a literary life. I'd thought initially, as a young girl, that I would be a teacher, since I so admired many of my teachers. And though I loved writing, I did not ever think of myself as a writer.