It is a god-like feeling, creating people and situations, passing judgment upon the creatures of your imagination. But unlike a god, I am very sensitive to judgment of my own work. Preoccupied with wanting to know what people really thought, I felt only posthumous evaluations would give me that insight. Most people are bound to judge my staged death as crazy. The two persons who knew the facts, my friend Ambrose and you, thought me heartless, a verdict to which I plead nolo contendere .
Comedians always get a laugh when they claim the brain as their second most cherished organ.
But ask the question seriously. With Shakespeare surely. But not with most writers, including Stephen Marx. I considered that question in my interviews with scientists during my Cohen phase. Scientific research is a collaborative activity, even among bitter competitors.