Kathryn Harrison

I admire writers who succeed at what I consider the first demand of art: that the artist vivisect himself without pity, without hesitation, determined to reveal whatever he might find.

I love any book that makes my family seem almost normal.

A lot of writers dwell on their relationships with their mothers, but only a few are worth reading.

I admire cool renderings of hot topics.

I work in a small study on the top floor of a brownstone in Brooklyn - it's about 75 square feet, 11 taken up by book shelves along one wall.

Shorter work - personal essays and book reviews - allow me to take a break from working on a book, which is good for the book and for its author.