Amin Maalouf

You can't say history teaches us this or that; it gives us more questions than answers, and many answers to every question.

I come from no country, from no city, no tribe. I am the son of the road... all tongues and all prayers belong to me. But I belong to none of them.

During my youth, the idea of moving from Lebanon was unthinkable. Then I began to realise I might have to go, like my grandfather, uncles and others who left for America, Egypt, Australia, Cuba.

It's hard to imagine anyone interested in film not being a fan of Alfred Hitchcock because he's such a key influence on the entire history of cinema - it's hard to escape his shadow.

New York has been the subject of thousands of books. Every immigrant group has had its saga as has every epoch and social class.

I was a daydreamer. Teachers kept telling me to pay attention.