"The most important male figure in my life has been Beethoven. I'd say he is my closest friend. He is the most unfathomable and inexplicable genius in world history. I guess I identify with him because I'm a megalomaniac, and if you want to identify with a great artist, go right to the top."
"I can't think of any things I admire about contemporary culture. It is awash with self-pity, irony, smallness of spirit, anti-romanticism."
"I do not own a computer. I have never logged on. I don't have a cell phone. I don't watch television, read newspapers, follow current events or go to movies."
"I believe my best work is still in front of me. I want to be remembered as a great American novelist."
God, it's nice to know we're not all Oprahfied and Franzenized.
