It seems disingenuous to ask a writer why she, or he, is writing about a violent subject when the world and history are filled with violence.

When people say there is too much violence in [my books], what they are saying is there is too much reality in life.

I would suggest the widow do things the husband used to do, so he seems to be there with you. You will feel like just going to bed. It's so wonderful, going to bed.

To be knocked out doesn't mean what it seems. A boxer does not have to get up.

The ideal art, the noblest of art: working with the complexities of life, refusing to simplify, to "overcome" doubt.

It isn't the subjects we write about but the seriousness and subtlety of our expression that determines the worth of or effort.