In his hospital room he suggested that an awareness of mortality was useful for a writer but ideally it should remain latent. \u201cI try not to dwell on it,\u201d\u009d he said, \u201cexcept that once in a while I say, O.K., I\u2019m not going to make that joke, I\u2019m not going to go for that chortle. Or if I have to choose between two subjects, I won\u2019t choose the boring one.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
He added, talking about an essay on Philip Larkin that made it into \u201cArguably\u201d\u009d: \u201cI knew the collection was going to come out even if I did not, and I was very pleased when I finished that one, because of the way it ends: \u201d\u02dcOur almost-instinct almost true:\/ What will survive of us is love.\u2019 I remember thinking, if that\u2019s the last piece I write, that will do me.\u201d\u009d After a moment he went on: \u201cThe influence of Larkin is much greater than I thought. He\u2019s perfect for people who are thinking about death. You\u2019ve got that old-line Calvinist pessimism and modern, acid cynicism \u201d\u201d a very good combo. He\u2019s not liking what he sees, and not pretending to.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n