His life was unrecorded; who is there to write down the lives of ordinary people?

The point of opera is that people are moved by the emotions and music.

The local community is very important in one's life; the feelings of identification with a place and people.

One of the most destructive things that's happening in modern society is that we are losing our sense of the bonds that bind people together - which can lead to nightmares of social collapse.

It seems to me that we're in danger of losing sight of certain basic civic values in society by allowing the growth of a whole generation of people who really have no sense of attachment to society.

But you cannot expect every writer to dwell on human suffering. I think my books do deal with grave issues. People who say they are too positive probably haven't read them.