Manuel Puig

“I've never seen a worse situation than that of young writers in the United States. The publishing business in North America is so commercialized.”

“What better model of a synthesis than a nocturnal dream? Dreams simplify, don't they?”

“I think cinema is closer to allegories than to reality. It's closer to our dreams.”

“I am very interested in what has been called bad taste. I believe the fear of displaying a soi-disant bad taste stops us from venturing into special cultural zones.”

“In a country like France, so ancient, their history is full of outstanding people, so they carry a heavy weight on their back. Who could write in French after Proust or Flaubert?”

“It doesn't matter that the way of life shown by Hollywood was phony. It helped you hope.”

“Ironically, Latin American countries, in their instability, give writers and intellectuals the hope that they are needed.”

“My stories are very somber, so I think I need the comic ingredient. Besides, life has so much humor.”

“I don't think humor is forced upon my universe it's a part of it.”

“For someone who writes fiction, in order to activate the imagination and the unconscious, it's essential to be free.”

“Most of the movies I saw growing up were viewed as totally disposable, fine for quick consumption, but they have survived 50 years and are still growing.”

“I'm not terribly happy about rock and roll. Certain rock music is uninspiring, numbing it makes you feel like an idiot.”

“If it's great stuff, the people who consume it are nourished. It's a positive force.”

“We should try to understand our innermost needs. We shouldn't use irony to reduce their power.”