I Wouldn't Want To Try To Adapt

The Reason I Wouldn't Dare To Write A Western Is Simply Because That Seems To Be So Much A Part Of American Culture. Maybe If I Want To Write A Western Enough I Should Try To Overcome That Fear, But I'll Certainly Feel Like I'm Trespassing. I Feel That That Is So Much A Part Of American Foundation Myth, It's Part Of The Myth Of America, The American Vision Of What America Is, Which People Have Glorified And Then Challenged And Then Vilified.

I Don't Have A Deep Link With England Like, Say, Jonathan Coe Or Hanif Kureishi Might Demonstrate. For Me It Is Like A Mythical Place.

One Is Not Struck By The Truth Until Prompted Quite Accidentally By Some External Event.

Our Family Arrived In England In 1960. At That Time I Thought The War Was Ancient History. But If I Think Of 15 Years Ago From Now, Thats 1990, And That Seems Like Yesterday To Me.

Throughout My Career I've Struggled To Encourage People To Read My Books On A More Metaphorical Level. I'm Less Attached To My Settings Than, For Example, Saul Bellow. The Setting Of A Novel For Me Is Just A Part Of The Technique. I Choose It At The End.