Life Is The First Gift,

The Sense Of Being Jewish Never Left Me, But When My Grandmother Died, I Rebelled Against Judaism As I Knew It Then, Which Was Orthodox. I Saw The Rituals, A Lot Of Them, As Very Male, For A Long Time.

My Grandmother Was Very Important To Me. She Gave Me My Religious Education. She Gave Me A Sense Of The Female Side Of Judaism, Of The Rich Store Of Stories And Legends Of The Women Of The Schtetl.

I Think That If You Use Something From You Life In Fiction, It Metamorphosizes Into Something Strange And Different. Afterward It Is Hard To Tell What Actually Was Part Of Your Life And What Is Part Of The Story Of The Fictional Character.

If Sex Is A War, I Am A Conscientious Objector: I Will Not Play.

The Real Writer Is One Who Really Writes. Talent Is An Invention Like Phlogiston After The Fact Of Fire. Work Is Its Own Cure. You Have To Like It Better Than Being Loved.