“If you live in a country where there is nothing comparable to free information, often literature becomes the only way to be more or less informed about what's going on.”

“Good novel is a conjunction of many factors, the main of which is, without a doubt, hard work. There are many things behind a good novel, but in particular, there is a lot of work - a lot of patience, a lot of stubbornness, and a critical spirit.”

“It isn't true that convicts live like animals: animals have more room to move around.”

“When I was growing up, the Spanish-speaking world was Balkanized. We were isolated. We didn't know what was happening in cultural terms in Ecuador, Colombia and Chile. Nowadays, this has changed a lot - fortunately for writers and readers. There is much more integration.”