Michael ondaatje

The last three books are much more a case of a moment of history, what happened almost by accident or coincidence, like being in the same elevator or lifeboat.

Once I've discovered the story, I might restructure it, maybe move things around, set up a clue that something is going to happen later, but that happens much later in an editorial capacity.

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

To write about someone like myself would be very limiting.

The past is still, for us, a place that is not safely settled.

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.

It's a discovery of a story when I write a book, a case of inching ahead on each page and discovering what's beyond in the darkness, beyond where you're writing.

It doubles your perception, to write from the point of view of someone you're not.

That's Anil's path. She grows up in Sri Lanka, goes and gets educated abroad, and through fate or chance gets brought back by the Human Rights Commission to investigate war crimes.

You don't want to write your own opinion, you don't want to just represent yourself, but represent yourself through someone else.