I'm a failed poet. Maybe every novelist wants to write poetry first, finds he can't and then tries the short story which is the most demanding form after poetry. And failing at that, only then does he turn to the novel.
我是个失败的诗人。也许每个小说家最初都想写诗，发现自己做不到后尝试短篇小说——那是仅次于诗歌要求最高的形式。连这个也失败了，他才会转向长篇小说。
事实是顽固的东西；无论我们的愿望、倾向或激情的驱使如何，它们都无法改变事实和证据的状态。