An original writer is not one who imitates nobody, but one whom nobody can imitate. РFran̤ois-Ren̩ de Chateaubriand, Le G̩nie du Christianisme, 1802

It is possible to regard Norman Mailer as one of the prices we pay for widespread literacy. – Richard Gilman, “Why Mailer Wants to be President,” in The New Republic, 1964 Fe

Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand. – George Orwell, “Why I Write,” 1947 (Thanks, Jennifer)

When writers die they become books, which is, after all, not too bad an incarnation. – Jorge Luis Borges