I like the condition of being an outsider, just passing through.

I'm not a biographer, I'm a novelist.

I spent most of the '60s, when I was starting to try to write novels, living and working in Greece and Turkey. These are countries where the ancient past is interfused with the daily present, and I remember being struck with wonder at the constant sense of continuity and connection, the reminders that lie in wait for you at every turn.

All my fiction starts from a feeling of unique perception, the pressure of a secret, a story that needs to be told.

Rule of law, access to justice, and financial transparency happen by design, not accident.

Britain needs a tough, strong financial conduct regulator.

It's not about how much money I'm getting paid. It's just a love of one-on-one combat. I feel I'm at home. I love the ring entrances, the talking. I'm the master of it all.

But I do have one real problem with socialism: I like money.