I've always wondered why there isn't a great French novel about the German occupation. The nouveau roman authors weren't interested in telling that sort of thing.

If it's great stuff, the people who consume it are nourished. It's a positive force.

My greatest aspiration was always to live in the tropics.

In a country like France, so ancient, their history is full of outstanding people, so they carry a heavy weight on their back. Who could write in French after Proust or Flaubert?

I am only interested in bad taste if I can enjoy a gruesome tango or watch a movie that makes me cry.

I am very interested in what has been called bad taste. I believe the fear of displaying a soi-disant bad taste stops us from venturing into special cultural zones.