For now, I'm supposing that all movements are equal, which they're not, except in this respect: that none of them gives a damn about artists beyond t… - Wilfrid Sheed

When a reviewer says that Malamud is second only to Bellow, it means he really isn't thinking about either of them. When he's reading Malamud he's thinking about Bellow, and when he's reading Bellow he's thinking about Roth. This is the essence of the ratings game: distraction. Children play it all the time. "Is this the biggest bridge in the world?" "No, it's the third biggest." "Oh." They lose all interest in the bridge.

Censors will try to censor a little bit more each year (because, like editors and other officious people, censors don't feel they are getting anywhere unless they are up and doing).

That is the best story he could find in his life, never mind if it's the truest: an artist's duty is always to tell the best story.