Stephen McCauley

The only responsible way to write about anything is with honesty.

— Stephen McCauley

When you're laughing aloud at David Sedaris' every sentence, it's easy to miss the more serious side of what he's up to.

— Stephen McCauley

I'm not a particularly disciplined person in terms of my work habits.

— Stephen McCauley

I wrote two novels about a yoga studio in Los Angeles published by Penguin under the pen name Rain Mitchell.

— Stephen McCauley

It's hard to imagine anyone accusing Lionel Shriver of being a timid writer.

— Stephen McCauley

My partner and I weed through our bookshelves and throw stuff out regularly.

— Stephen McCauley

The experience of writing under a pseudonym was tremendously liberating; I could write what I wanted.

— Stephen McCauley

I keep trying to write happy endings, but my books always end on more of a bittersweet note of ambiguity.

— Stephen McCauley

Early on, I got some criticism from other gay writers and queer theorists for being too 'assimilationist,' probably because my characters are…

— Stephen McCauley

I think libraries give the feeling that people are there to work. It's a little bit like an artist's colony in the…

— Stephen McCauley

Jill Eisenstadt is a writer of many admirable gifts. Foremost among them are a sharp eye for people, a playful love of…

— Stephen McCauley

I write in public libraries and sometimes coffee shops. I can't write at home and gave up trying long ago. I need…

— Stephen McCauley

Ultimately, Cole Porter's music might say more about his life than any biography could. His songs, with their witty lyrics and debonair…

— Stephen McCauley

It's really fun to write something for kids. You can make it a little bit more extreme and crazy than you would…

— Stephen McCauley

When you're sitting in the theater watching your own work be performed, you get to see people's reactions immediately. Unlike with a…

— Stephen McCauley

“From what I can tell, the chief distinguishing factor between children and adults is that children hear everything while appearing not to…

— Stephen McCauley

“We all have a central fiction about ourselves, a favored delusion about talent or untapped potential. Most of us hang on to…

— Stephen McCauley

Jill Eisenstadt's comic second novel, 'Kiss Out,' is a work of such extravagant wackiness, eccentricity, and exuberance that any attempt to squeeze…

— Stephen McCauley

The book that made me cry hardest was 'Stoner,' by John Williams.

— Stephen McCauley

Honestly, I'm, like, the least religious person in the world.

— Stephen McCauley

It's hard to describe the work of the British-born Australian writer Elizabeth Jolley without somewhat misrepresenting it.

— Stephen McCauley

If you aren't a reader and you have a kid with his face buried in books, it can be a bit threatening.…

— Stephen McCauley

I loved Victoria Glendinning's bio of Vita Sackville-West. I also loved Michael Holroyd's immense biography of Lytton Strachey.

— Stephen McCauley

I guess I have an aversion to writing about big events and heroic actions. The everyday has always seemed most important to…

— Stephen McCauley

One of my pleasures is observing people's behavior and pointing out the inconsistencies that we all sort of have at the center…

— Stephen McCauley

I wish I could calculate my way to a bigger audience, but I don't think I'm smart enough. Actually, I don't think…

— Stephen McCauley

I have always had someone in my life that I consider my reading mentor because I come from a family where reading…

— Stephen McCauley