He also recognized that he wouldn't be the first to write in English as a second language. Conrad and Nabokov had already paved the way in grand style with Heart of Darkness and Pale Fire. The path had already been laid. He just had to have the courage to walk it and attempt to live up to standards set by those who had walked it before.
二來，這不是他的發明，寫出《黑暗之心》的康拉德與寫出《幽冥的火》的納博科夫，已經立了一個偉大的傳統在那裡，有一條可遵循的路，就看你有沒有勇氣、敢不敢走，以及，配不配得上這個傳統。