Miami, in many ways, is a quintessentially American city. The juxtaposition of showy wealth with dire pennilessness, the tussle of glitz and decay doesn't come any more marked than here.

The big question is why do we need the news? People who don’t know who’s in goverment still want the news. Is it because listening to the news allows us to have opinions? Is it because it gives us something to talk about, the human weather? Most readers who put down a paper certainly feel qualified to rule the world.

It’s what the reader thinks that counts.

It’s true, some senior Hungarian writers are not known for their laughter. There is a strong Germanic influence – an attitude that if it’s enjoyable it can’t possibly be literature.

Ultimately, it’s about the quality of the writing whatever style you are writing.

I always consider every place worth exploring once- just in case there’s a thirty foot flaming sign divulging the secret of life, that no one has told me about.

Criticism is part of being in the marketplace. If you can’t take a bit of criticism, you shouldn’t bother publishing a book.

I don’t take much notice of reviews now – obviously you’d like to have straight worship but you’re never going to get that.

As suburbs go, Bromley’s not bad. But as David Bowie and Hanif Kureishi have observed, you do want to get out of there quickly.

Like most men, I’m a life support system for a phallus.