“I went to New York because I wished to live deliberately as an artist, to front only the essential facts of an artist’s life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not done everything I could to live the life I wanted. I did not wish to live any longer what was not an artist’s life, living is so short, art is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite, quite necessary.”

Extrait du discours de Matt Ruf lors de la remise du Man Booker International Prize, attribué en 2035 à son roman Répercussions.