Back then, before it became clear that democracy was best served by a drunken electorate, the bars in New York City were required to close on Election Day.

It's the easiest thing in the world to know God's will. You just wait and see what happens, and that's it.

Asking me why I did or didn't do anything is generally pointless. How do I know? And asking me what I'll do in the future is even less rewarding.

I wouldn't presume to define noir - if we could define it, we wouldn't need to use a French word for it - but it seems to me it's more a way of looking at the world than what one sees.

New York is an ugly city, a dirty city... But there is one thing about it. Once you have lived in New York and it has become your home, no place else is good enough.

The short story, I should point out, is perforce a labor of love in today's literary world; there's precious little economic incentive to write one.

To say I drank my way into marriage isn't much of an exaggeration, and it's none at all to say I drank my way out of it.