Many writers fall into the trap of self-importance and exhibitionism. You are an exception …
It’s a condition that happens to creative people at large. It’s part of having a strong ego. It just does not happen to authors alone. It affects actors, artistes and musicians. They can be catty! I don’t think I’m completely free of it. Certainly, I’d feel a bit envious if I read somewhere that a particular writer had got a huge amount of money for a book that he or she wrote. I don’t resent it. But I wish I’d got that too! Over the years, however, one has to realise that you can’t be the only writer in the world, that others are doing interesting things …
What exactly these days puts your imagination into high gear?
Memories of people whom I might have known long ago but not thought about very much over the years. They come back to me and take hold of my imagination. Thirty or forty years ago, whom I perhaps never thought very interesting might now become the subject of a story. I now realise I have not forgotten them, but merely put them aside. As I get older, some memories renew themselves or become relevant.
Do you think that everything in your life has served you, brought you to this moment?
To a great extent yes, because, being a subjective writer, I’ve written about myself or people around me or relationships. Writing has been a part of living in a way. The two go together: writing and living.