Literary prizes serve a purpose if they allow for discussion of books.

Love is the scent of a sleeping back, death a slight draft of bad breath.

I had some bad jobs when I was young. Writing is not one of them. If you're fortunate enough to reach my age, to still be writing, you have to be grateful, and I am. I've been lucky. For many years, all I've done is writing, and it's all I've ever wanted to do.

When forging money, I had always salved my conscience by concluding that I was merely extending the lie of commerce.

Writing about sex at length is a bit like describing mastication at length. It's the causes and the consequences and the meaning of it that are interesting, not the anatomical descriptions.

We have a very foolish notion in Western countries that progress delivers freedom. But progress doesn't necessarily bring moral virtue.

There are words and words and none mean anything. And then one sentence means everything.