This strange business of what it is to be a writer is this increasingly insane world in which we live, in which surrealism, it seems, is the new realism.

Realism can break a writer's heart.

Hyperrealism can create an atmosphere of surrealism because nobody sees the world in such detail.

One of the strange things about violent and authoritarian regimes is they don't like the glare of negative publicity.

One of the strange things that happens when you publish a book is that you begin ... to see what resonances it has for the readers, ... Sometimes you begin to understand your book a bit more.

There is a widespread difficulty in the Muslim world, which has to do with how the people are taught about examining their own history. A whole range of stuff has been placed off limits.