Memory is quite central for me. Part of it is that I like the actual texture of writing through memory. I like the atmospheres that result if episodes are narrated through the haze of memory.

Memory is quite central for me. Part of it is that I like the actual texture of writing through memory.

The world is crawling with authors touring now. They're like performance artists.

I don't have a deep link with England like, say, Jonathan Coe or Hanif Kureishi might demonstrate. For me, it is like a mythical place.

The success of a film at the box office will ensure happiness to the entire unit, but individual awards are like vitamin shots that will help boost the morale of an actor.

That should be the measure of success for everyone. It's not money, it's not fame, it's not celebrity; my index of success is happiness.

Personal relationships, mood, chance, or anything like that can actually affect people's decisions, and when they're in a position of power, their capriciousness can affect the fate of a nation.

In very big companies, you find less entrepreneurialism than you really want to see. Success is defined as 'don't make a mistake.' And you get to be the C.E.O. by outlasting everybody else, then you're there for five or six years, and you want to get your bonus on the way out.