Part 1 The writer - a profile: on reading; on first efforts; on motivation - why I write; on work habits; on inspiration - the starting point; on the audience; on performance; on revizing - self-evaluation; on editors; on publication - success, failure, etc.; on critics. Part 2 Technical matters: on beginnings and endings; on names and titles; on style; on plot; on character; on symbols; on dialogue; on sex; on experimental writing; on humour; on writer's block; on artificial stimulants. Part 3 Different forms: on biography; on children's books; on criticism; on films; on journalism; on potboilers; on short stories; on theatre. Part 4 The writer's life: on social life - writer's colonies, salons, literary communities, etc.; on security - grants, prizes, honors, etc.; on readings - seminars, conferences, etc.; on politics; on teaching - advice, writing courses, etc.; on peers - portraits; on the future.