Michael Ondaatje

The first sentence of every novel should be: Trust me, this will take time but there is order here, very faint, very human. Meander if you want to get to town.

You want to suggest something new, but at the same time, resolve the drama of the action in the novel.

I don't see novels ending with any real sense of closure.

It's good to like yourself, and that only comes from hard work, from doing. But vanity is dangerous; it can trip you badly.

A myth is a lie that conceals or reveals a truth. But if it reveals even a strand of history or truth, that's what gets my adrenaline going.

I studied international relations and economics at the University of Virginia. I paid my way by working as a bartender in the summer and at three part-time jobs during the year.