I found myself in a sea in which the waves of joy and sorrow were clashing against each other.

The Arab world also won the Nobel with me. I believe that international doors have opened, and that from now on, literate people will consider Arab literature also. We deserve that recognition.

I thought they would never select an Eastern writer for the Nobel. I was surprised.

The Nobel Prize has given me, for the first time in my life, the feeling that my literature could be appreciated on an international level.

It's not surprising that truly humanitarian manifestos originate frequently in minority circles or with people whose consciences are troubled by the problems of minorities.

We wont develop until we accept that reading is a vital necessity.

The calendar has a magic that makes us imagine a memory can be resurrected and revived, but nothing returns.