If the national mental illness of the United States is megalomania, that of Canada is paranoid schizophrenia.

Once upon a time, novelists of the 19th century, such as Charles Dickens, published in serial form.

There is something reassuring about the toilets. Bodily functions at least remain democratic. Everybody shits.

Our generation in the west was lucky: we had readymade gateways. We had books, paper, teachers, schools and libraries. But many in the world lack these luxuries. How do you practice without such tryout venues?

I was kidnapped by literature at a young age and never wanted to be ransomed.

When any civilization is dust and ashes," he said, "art is all that's left over. Images, words, music. Imaginative structures. Meaning—human meaning, that is—is defined by them. You have to admit that.

Every habit he's ever had is still there in his body, lying dormant like flowers in the desert. Given the right conditions, all his old addictions would burst into full and luxuriant bloom.