What We Search For In Fiction Is

Empathy Lies At The Heart Of Gatsby, Like So Many Other Great Novels-the Biggest Sin Is To Be Blind To Others Problems And Pains. Not Seeing Them Means Denying Their Existence.

The Dearer A Book Was To My Heart, The More Battered And Bruised It Became.

The Worst Crime Committed By Totalitarian Mind-sets Is That They Force Their Citizens, Including Their Victims, To Become Complicit In Their Crimes. Dancing With Your Jailer, Participating In Your Own Execution, That Is An Act Of Utmost Brutality.

Living In The Islamic Republic Is Like Having Sex With Someone You Loathe.

Art Is No Longer Snobbish Or Cowardly. It Teaches Peasants To Use Tractors, Gives Lyrics To Young Soldiers, Designs Textiles For Factory Women's Dresses, Writes Burlesque For Factory Theatres, Does A Hundred Other Useful Tasks. Art Is As Usueful As Bread.