You come in off the street, through the doors of the theater. You sit down. The lights go down and the curtain goes up. And you're in another world

I never went to a ballet until I was 45 years old. I don't know why.

I write from seven to about noon. I used to try to write longer, but I read and I found that I was always getting myself tired by working in the afternoon and then I was just throwing out what I wrote in the afternoon, so writing then was counterproductive.

I've always felt that no one understands why some books of non-fiction endure and some don't, because there's not much understanding among many non-fiction writers that the narrative is terribly important.

I try to have a mood or a rhythm for a chapter.

You come in off the street, through the doors of the theater. You sit down. The lights go down and the curtain goes up. And you're in another world

I deliberately made an effort not to become an expert on the ballet.