When I was a child I wanted to be Pope. My greatest disappointment is missing out on that. I also wanted to be a tap dancer but I never fulfilled that ambition either.
I never read in bed, only in my study.
The English have always been greedy for news of times past, with that mixture of fatalism and melancholy which is part of the national character.
People are much more interesting than people realise.
If I did only one thing at a time I'd think I was wasting my time. If, for example, I only wrote novels I would feel like a charlatan and a fraud.
I don't in any sense think of myself as a celebrity, which of course I'm not.
I don't know if I have a voice of my own. I don't see me being an important person with something to say. I haven't. I've got nothing to say. My opinion is of no consequence or value.
There are so many characters whizzing around inside my head, it's like Looney Tunes. But as soon as I've finished writing about them, I completely forget who they are.
I think biography can be more personal than fiction, and certainly can be more expressive.
