A Pearl Of Wisdom We've Steadfastly Ignored

Writing is the only thing I'm good at. I was crap at everything else. But I'm glad I did the law because I think getting a job is a good test of any young writer's resolve. If you're only playing at the idea of writing then it's not going to happen.

- Tash Aw, whose The Harmony Silk Factory was awarded the Whitbread Prize for best first novel.