I had the idea that there were two worlds. There was a real world as I called it, a world of wars and boxing clubs and children'shomes on back streets, and this real world was a world where orphans burned orphans.... I liked the other world in which almost everyone lived. The imaginary world.

In every death is a celebration; in every ecstasy, one little death.

Great sex is apocalyptic. There is no such thing as great sex unless you have an apocalyptic moment.

The highest prize in a world of men is the most beautiful woman available on your arm and living there in her heart loyal to you.

Growth, in some curious way, I suspect, depends on being always in motion just a little bit, one way or another.

Only another writer can know how much damage writing a novel can do to you. It's an unnatural activity to sit at a desk and squeeze words out of yourself.

Every time a story about me appears in a newspaper, I am injured professionally.