the late twentieth century will go down in history, i'm sure, as an era of pharmaceutical buffoonery.

It's all like an ocean!" cried Dostoevski. I say it's all like cellophane.

Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what's inside you, to make your soul grow.

I'd rather have written "Cheers" than anything I've written.

The dog, who had sounded so ferocious in the winter distances, was a female German Shepherd. She was shivering. Her tail was between her legs. She had been borrowed that morning from a farmer. She had never been to war before. She had no idea what game was being played. Her name was Princess.

A story has to be a good date, because the reader can stop at any time. Remember, readers are selfish and have no compulsion to be decent about anything.

Nowadays, of course, just about our only solvent industry is the merchandising of death, bankrolled by our grandchildren.