One of the things I've learnt is not to depend on there being a woman in your life to make it work. I love my work, I love my children, I've got wonderful friends, you know, I have a nice life.

It's true that the human body is more vulnerable than the products of the human mind.

The West sees Iran as an important force in the gulf.

Sometimes writing a novel is not unlike having a baby. You'd have to ask a female novelist to compare the pain.

Books choose their authors; the act of creation is not entirely a rational and conscious one.

The question I'm always asking myself is: are we masters or victims? Do we make history, or does history make us? Do we shape the world, or are we just shaped by it? The question of do we have agency in our lives or whether we are just passive victims of events is, I think, a great question, and one that I have always tried to ask.

My horizon's have shrunk and I have only endings to write.