Religion begins in story. Yes, it does, because religion is an attempt to make sense of what is incomprehensible to us, what is inexplicable, what is awe-inspiring, what is frightening, what moves us to great wonder, and so on. That is the religious impulse, and it is part of our psychological makeup -- of everyone's psychological makeup.

I am a strong believer in the tyranny, the dictatorship, the absolute authority of the writer.

It does not make sense. It cannot exist. It's impossible, and if it isn't impossible, it's irrelevant, and if it isn't either of those things, it's embarrassing.

What I do say is that I can write verse, and that the writing of verse in strict form is the best possible training for writing good prose

We have to build the Republic of Heaven where we are, because for us there is no elsewhere.

It’s like having to make a choice: a blessing or a curse. The one thing you can’t do is choose neither.

Then she was pressing her little proud broken self against his face, as close as she could get, and then they died.