I Don't Think It's Any Fun, Even

Memory Is Quite Central For Me. Part Of It Is That I Like The Actual Texture Of Writing Through Memory.

There Is Certainly A Satisfaction And Dignity To Be Gained In Coming To Terms With The Mistakes One Has Made In The Course Of One’s Life

There Comes A Point When You Can More Or Less Count The Number Of Books You're Going To Write Before You Die.

I Still Have A Suspicion Of Charity And Think The State Has A Role To Play In Many Areas. And Although For Most Of The Years Since I Have Been A Rather Privileged Writer, I Identify More Closely Than Perhaps I Should With Those Social Workers. Had I Not Become A Writer That Would Have Been Me. Lots Of Our Friends Are Still In That World And I Do Feel Part Of That Generation Of People Who Were Rather Idealistic In The 70s And Became Disillusioned In The 80s. Not Just About Social Services Issues, But The World.

Perhaps There Are Those Who Are Able To Go About Their Lives Unfettered By Such Concerns. But For Those Like Us, Our Fate Is To Face The World As Orphans, Chasing Through Long Years The Shadows Of Vanished Parents. There Is Nothing For It But To Try And See Through Our Missions To The End, As Best We Can, For Until We Do So, We Will Be Permitted No Calm.