The main hazard [of authorship] will, as usual, be incurred by the author, since his success will be momentary, his failure felt as permanent, and his isolation complete. But since I believe that writers of fiction, in whom I am principally interested, are in some curious way the only people telling the truth, I would expect them to feel pretty unlucky anyway. The Author , Summer 1984 The only people telling the truth : a salutary and reassuring voice, this, from so long ago, in this era of fake news and other horrors.
'I suppose what one wants really is ideal company and books are ideal company.'