Quotes About Author

Politics is the great generalizer and literature the great particularizer, and not only are they in an inverse relationship to each other---they are in an antagonistic relationship.

Writing is) the transformation, through an elaborate impersonation, of a personal emergency into a public act (in both senses of that word).

The ordeal is part of the commitment Esquire Interview 10/10

If only I could have nourished myself upon the depths of his vulgarity, instead of that too becoming a source of shame. Shame and shame and shame and shame—every place I turn something else to be ashamed of.

Would that I were still a ludicrous character in his lousy book!

my imagination I am unfaithful to everybody, by the way, not just to you.

Makarska and Madamaska.

He told me he wants to write this book arguing that Christianity is the universe's way of punishing itself, that what Christianity is, really, is the offer of an irresistible reward in exchange for an unperformable service.

This kind of fiction doesn't interest me.

Formal writing does not mean gratuitously fancy writing; it means clear, clean, maximally considerate writing.

The long cigarette seemed almost to be bleeding smoke, the sunlight on the couch was so bright.

As essayist Lewis Hyde points out, self-mocking irony is always Sincerity, with a motive.

Not as rabid a fan as, say, Nicholson Baker, but I do believe that The Poorhouse Fair, Of the Farm, and The Centaur are all great books, maybe classics. And even since '81's Rabbit Is Rich—as his characters seemed to become more and more repellent, and without any corresponding sign that the author understood that they were repellent—

his foray into the futuristic-dystopic tradition of Huxley and Ballard and soft sci-

Micah 6:8--to do justice, love mercy and to walk humbly with God. I would suggest that there is no solution to our national crisis absent those three cardinal virtues.

Less of a Galahad than a Lancelot, thought Archer. A flawed knight in a flawed world, unstable yet unyielding.

Dirtside males can be so stupid and arrogant sometimes. What they didn't know was that Ganny had her own set of testicles. She showed them to me once, she kept them in the cryo-freezer.

Douglas had a sour expression; he didn't want to get into this argument. Unfortunately, he'd already pushed the on button, and Alexei didn't have an off button.

I think she had a lot of history that she wished she didn't. As near as I can tell, Earth is a terrible place, and I'm glad we don't live there.

Pope Sixtus the Fifth?

Discerning people love their country and hate their government while people who love their goverment more than their country are generally servants of a political party.

If you are profoundly interested in useless opinions and stupid people, may I suggest the purchase of a television?

H]e had this view of things - that most human activity was utter folly, his own included, and that his existence in the world made others nervous.

made myself a man whose book was like blinders, but listened like a man for whom listening meant survival