Bread and books: food for the body and food for the soul - what could be more worthy of our respect, and even love?

The west was involved in toppling the Mossadegh government. That ultimately led to the Iranian revolution.

Five mysteries hold the keys to the unseen: the act of love, and the birth of a baby, and the contemplation of great art, and being in the presence of death or disaster, and hearing the human voice lifted in song.

I have always thought, the secret purpose of the book tour is to make the writer hate the book he's written. And, as a result, drive him to write another book.

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

One of the problems with defending free speech is you often have to defend people that you find to be outrageous and unpleasant and disgusting.

I don't read my books, I write them. Once I've finished the many years it usually takes me to write them, I can't bear to read them, because I've spent too long with them already. I'm not advertising them very well, am I?