"Jansson was an upper-middle-class bohemian lesbian, living on a tiny island in the Gulf of Finland . I was a suburban scouser on a new-build housing estate. It felt as though she was writing just for me."

"The youth gets together his materials to build a bridge to the moon, or, perchance, a palace or temple on the earth, and, at length, the middle-aged man concludes to build a woodshed with them."

"The operation of the imagination in life is more significant than its operation in or in relation to works of art... in life what is important is the truth as it is, while in arts and letters what is …"

"Into us a child is born."

"Paul has no problem with wealth, yet he advocates positions that work against his personal economic interests. He notes that, while advocating the closing of tax loopholes, he has no difficulty taking…"