"The energy of American Jewish writers was so charged, so buoyant, that for a time they appeared to dominate American …"

"Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia."

"It’s like driving a car at night. You never see further than your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way."

"Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go."

"Planning to write is not writing. Outlining ...researching ...talking to people about what you’re doing, none of that…"

"You can’t remember sex. You can remember the fact of it, and recall the setting, and even the details, but the sex of…"

"Murders are exciting and lift people into a heart-beating awe as religion is supposed to do, after seeing one in the …"

"The historian will tell you what happened. The novelist will tell you what it felt like."

"In the twentieth century one of the most personal relationships to have developed is that of the person and the state…"

"History is the present. That’s why every generation writes it anew. But what most people think of as history is its e…"