Do not be misled by the fact that you are at liberty and relatively free; that for the moment you are not under lock and key: you have simply been granted a reprieve.

Literature seemed to be everything then. People looked to it for the strength to live, for guidance, for revelation.

The tradition of Russian literature is also an eastern tradition of learning poetry and prose by heart.

Our job is like a baker's work - his rolls are tasty as long as they're fresh; after two days they're stale; after a week, they're covered with mould and fit only to be thrown out.

He killed his enemies because he was afraid they would kill him. Amin ordered entire tribes to be put to death, because he feared they would rebel.

More than anything, one is struck by the light. Light everywhere. Brightness everywhere. Everywhere, the sun.

The Cold War in Africa is one of the darkest, most disgraceful pages in contemporary history, and everybody ought to be ashamed.