I think almost every writer in the world would hope that books would be always talked about with respect and civility and depth and seriousness.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I do think that books are invaluable as a reservoir of what we call the human space. And this is why I think that, even if they're threatened, the work that they do has an incalculable merit.
People respect nonfiction but they read novels.
The fact is that in this day and age I don't think any novelist can assume that a book will get attention.
A book is a journey: It's a thing you agree to go on with somebody, and I think every reader's experience of a book is going to be different.
But I do think it's important to remember that writers do not have a monopoly of wisdom on their books. They can be wrong about their own books, they can often learn about their own books.
The writer's job is to let the books speak for themselves eventually.
I have faith that worthy but misunderstood or ignored books can still prevail - and when they do, fewer joys are as sweet - but authors have families to support and rent to pay, and for them, I hope for acclaim in their time rather than late-in-life or posthumously.
A book is always a dialogue with other readers and other books.
Becoming an author changes your attitude too. Once you see where books come from, and how they're made, they never seem quite as sacred again.
When you write a novel, you never have to be in the service of the reader. My only concern with my books is that the world that's created be as logical and whole as possible.