And I think that's the spirit of Shakespeare, which somehow touched it . . . I don't know what that process is or means, but it certainly takes place.

Shakespeare: The Biography,

A triptych in which the presiding deities are Mother, England and Me.

It leads to the conclusion that he did not necessarily persevere in his study.

This book wrote itself, somehow,

That's tittle-tattle. It was completely overblown. I'm surprised at you. Next it'll be 'I hear you drink a lot'. That's the normal one. 'He drinks too much, he's hardly ever sober.' Well if I was hardly ever sober, how would I have written 30 fucking books?