I Only Keep Books That I Like

When I Go Fishing I Like To Know That There's Nobody Within Five Miles Of Me.

When I Was Asked To Be Writer In Residence At Edinburgh I Thought, You Can't Teach Poetry. This Is Ridiculous.

If I Wrote A Play With Four Characters Every Single One Of Them Would Talk Like Me Regardless Of Age Or Sex.

All Those Authors There, Most Of Whom Of Course I've Never Met. That's The Poetry Side, That's The Prose Side, That's The Fishing And Miscellaneous Behind Me. You Get An Affection For Books That You've Enjoyed.

It's Like Breathing In And Out To Me. It's Like Having A Conversation With Someone Who Isn't There. Because It Has To Be Addressed To Somebody - Not A Particular Person, Or Very Rarely.