I Had No Sense Of Any Reputation

The Writer I Feel The Most Affinity With - You Said You Felt My Books Are 19th Century Novels, I Think They're 18th Century Novels - Is Fielding, Henry Fielding, He's The Guy Who Does It For Me.

You Would Go Mad If You Began To Speculate About The Impact Your Novel Might Have While You Were Still Writing It.

But At The Same Time, I Have Trouble Keeping Things Out Of Books, Which Is Why I Don't Write Short Stories Because They Turn Into Novels.

I Was Mainly In A State Of Nervousness While I Wrote It - Nervousness That It Was Far Bigger And More Complicated Than Anything Id Attempted Before, And That Maybe My Talent Just Wasnt Up To It And The Book Would Have To Be Abandoned, Or Would Turn Out Not To Work At All When It Was Finished.

Sometimes I Feel That I Am Destined Always To Be Offstage Whenever The Main Action Occurs. That God Has Made Me The Victim Of Some Cosmic Practical Joke, By Assigning Me Little More Than A Walk-on Part In My Own Life. Or Sometimes I Feel That My Role Is Simply To Be A Spectator To Other People's Stories, And Always To Wander Away At The Most Important Moment, Drifiting Into The Kitchen To Make A Cup Of Tea Just As The Denouement Unfolds.