In the twentieth century one of the most personal relationships to have developed is that of the person and the state. It's become a fact of life that governments have become very intimate with people, most always to their detriment. E. L. Doctorow centurydetrimentdevelop share on social
My father was the proprietor of a music shop on Forty-third Street, where many of the finest performers and musicians of the day would come to shop. He knew the classical repertoire inside out. E. L. Doctorow classicaldayfather Change image and share on social
There are two books that impressed me when I was very young. One was 'The Adventures of Augie March' - the idea of having something so generous, and so adventurous and improvisatory. The other was 'The U.S.A. Trilogy,' by John Dos Passos. E. L. Doctorow adventureadventurousaugie share on social
I started on computers with 'Billy Bathgate,' a little orange screen with black letters. I thought it was really cool, but it actually slowed me up for a while because it's so easy to revise, I tended to stay on the same page. I've learned to discipline myself. E. L. Doctorow bathgatebillyblack share on social
From my undergraduate days, I've always been interested in the major philosophical questions that don't seem to have an answer that everyone agrees on. E. L. Doctorow agreeanswerday Change image and share on social
My sense of what a book should be has changed so radically. I like to think for the better. E. L. Doctorow bookchangeradically Change image and share on social
My theory about why Hemingway killed himself is that he heard his own voice; that he reached the point where he couldn't write without feeling he was repeating himself. That's the worst thing that can happen to a writer. E. L. Doctorow badfelthappen share on social
The writer isn't made in a vacuum. Writers are witnesses. The reason we need writers is because we need witnesses to this terrifying century. E. L. Doctorow centurymakereason Change image and share on social
Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia. E. L. Doctorow acceptableformschizophrenia Change image and share on social
I like commas. I detest semi-colons - I don't think they belong in a story. And I gave up quotation marks long ago. I found I didn't need them, they were fly-specks on the page. E. L. Doctorow agobelongcolon Change image and share on social
