I like the idea of isolation, I like the idea of solitude. You can be connected and have a phone and still be lonely.

Unless there is a strong sense of place there is no travel writing, but it need not come from topographical description; dialogue can also convey a sense of place. Even so, I insist, the traveler invents the place. Feeling compelled to comment on my travel books, people say to me, "I went there"---China, India, the Pacific, Albania-- "and it wasn't like that." I say, "Because I am not you.

I'm not pessimistic about Africa. The cities just seem big and hopeless. But there's still a great green heart where there's possibility. There's hope in the wilderness.

The man who is tired of London is tired of looking for a parking space

The monotony of staying in one place is the best thing for writing a novel. Having regular habits, a kind of security, but especially no big surprises, no shocks.

Travel works best when you're forced to come to terms with the place you're in.

My house is a place I have spent many years improving to the point where I have no desire to leave it.