Miami, in many ways, is a quintessentially American city. The juxtaposition of showy wealth with dire pennilessness, the tussle of glitz and decay doesn't come any more marked than here.

Most books reviews aren't very well-written. They tend to be more about the reviewer than the book.

New York City has fantastic restaurants and, unlike London, a lot of the best restaurants are relatively cheap.

When I think of Hungarian films, I think of despair and bleakness, and what's more, despair and bleakness of indefensible duration.

Some years ago, I fired my agent, Andrew Wylie, alias The Jackal. I want to stress this wasn't an amicable parting of the ways or a hankering on my part for fresh representation. I fired him because his agency wasn't doing enough for me.

Life is one long decay, no? There's a lot of beauty in it. Like the patina in an old city.