In 1980, I published my first novel, in the usual swirl of unjustified hope and justified anxiety.

Start with the notion that yours is the sole responsibility unless there's powerful evidence to the contrary

Women were brought up to believe that men were the answer. They weren't. They weren't even one of the questions.

WHORES. Necessary in the nineteenth century for the contraction of syphilis, without which no one could claim genius.

Perhaps the world progresses not by maturing, but by being in a permanent state of adolescence, of thrilled discovery.

If these are indeed the spirits of Englishmen and Englishwomen who have passed over into the next world, surely they would know how to form a proper queue?

Life seemed even more of a guessing game than usual.