Julian Barnes

It's a cancer caused by the body getting old, starting to break down, and turn against its own best interests.

It's a cancer rooted in the universe's utter indifference.

It's random.

It has no significance.

It's just the universe doing its stuff.

Don't insert morality or purpose into its unrolling and denouement.

Well, I did used to smoke, but only very lightly.

And I stopped some time ago.

And I do still drink, but it's not what causes it at all.

So it's a sort of morally neutral feeling.

It's just something that happens.

It's just, as a phrase I use more than once, it's just the universe doing its stuff, which gives you a certain sort of distance and vision about it.

No, I don't really feel grief for my own body.

I mean, it's just, it's sort of, it's pointless to feel that.

We are these creatures who come into this earth unbidden, not consulted.

And we live a certain amount of time, much longer than our ancestors, which is an upside.

But because we live longer, our body begins to break down.

The medical costs increase.

But I don't feel – I remember when I was told that I had some form of blood cancer.

I was sort of strangely detached.