Faulkner turned out to be a great teacher. When a student asked a question ineptly, he answered the question with what the student had really wanted to know.

Saul Bellow never took my advice when he was my friend.

I think the pattern of my essays is, A funny thing happened to me on my way through Finnegans Wake.

I never met anybody in my life who says, I want to be a critic. People want to be a fireman, poet, novelist.

The black situation has changed. They finally realized they're Americans.

Raymond Carver is good. I think he'll be appreciated more and more. He's an easy writer to imitate.

I gave up writing blurbs because you make one friend and 200 enemies.