I've never seen a worse situation than that of young writers in the United States. The publishing business in North America is so commercialized.

Most of the movies I saw growing up were viewed as totally disposable, fine for quick consumption, but they have survived 50 years and are still growing.

The writer needs to react to his or her own internal universe, to his or her own point of view. If he or she doesn't have a personal point of view, it's impossible to be a creator.

If the novelist shares his or her problems with the characters, he or she is able to study his personal unconscious.

I didn't choose literature. Literature chose me. There was no decision on my side.

My pleasure was to copy, not to create.

In a country like France, so ancient, their history is full of outstanding people, so they carry a heavy weight on their back. Who could write in French after Proust or Flaubert?