I do think that short story writing is often a matter of luck.

The British audience was very important to me. I have always looked away from American to non-American audiences and so this was important.

The absurdist stuff wasn't terribly popular at the time I was doing it.

As far as the mechanics go, working with other people on received ideas was for me a very interesting technical problem. I can't say that any of my collaborations engaged my heart, but they engaged the craftsman in me.

I have never been a critic of science fiction as a whole.

I'm quite influenced in this by one of my heroes, Montaigne, who thought a man's real task was to render as honest an account of himself as he could.

Ethical and questions of philosophy interest me a great deal.