I see Canada as a country torn between a very northern, rather extraordinary, mystical spirit which it fears and its desire to present itself to the world as a Scotch banker.

Canada is not really a place where you are encouraged to have large spiritual adventures.

Extraordinary people survive under the most terrible circumstances and they become more extraordinary because of it.

The people who fear humor - and there are many -are suspicious of its power to present things in unexpected lights to question received opinions and to suggest unforeseen possibilities

If I see anything vital around me, it is precisely that spirit of adventure, which seems indestructible and is akin to curiosity.

Literary critics, however, frequently suffer from a curious belief that every author longs to extend the boundaries of literary art, wants to explore new dimensions of the human spirit, and if he doesn't, he should be ashamed of himself.