THE LAST INTERVIEW? . . .

From the New York Times: "Goodbye, Frustration: Pen Put Aside, Roth Talks," by Charles McGrath, in which Philip Roth talks about his decision to quit writing --

Mr. Roth is now in excellent health, after back surgery in April, and exercises regularly. But he said: “I know I’m not going to write as well as I used to. I no longer have the stamina to endure the frustration. Writing is frustration — it’s daily frustration, not to mention humiliation. It’s just like baseball: you fail two-thirds of the time.” He went on: “I can’t face any more days when I write five pages and throw them away. I can’t do that anymore.”

If he's like a lot of bloggers I know, Roth will be reconsidering his decision to quit very soon . . .