People don't seem to have a problem with a romanticized New York, in fact that's almost all they ever do, in some sense, is romanticize that place. Los Angeles deserves the same courtesy.

Great books are written from a sense that there is nothing to lose.

I do have complicated feelings about Hollywood, but I also have tremendously affectionate ones.

We go to literature because it shows us some set of humane values. It is showing us how to live.

It's hard to imagine there's a place for great writing inside a multinational conglomerate.

I think being central to the culture is overrated. Who really gives a damn if something is popular? Jay-Z isn't actually any better than James Joyce even though more people understand him.

I sometimes get asked if I think about film stuff while I'm writing fiction, and the answer is, of course not.