Irving described his childhood in an interview with the American writer Ron Rosenbaum as: "Unlike the Americans, we English suffered great deprivations ... we went through childhood with no toys.
艾文在采访中向美国记者罗恩·罗森鲍姆(Ron Rosenbaum)描述了他的童年：“与美国人不同，我们英国人蒙受了很大损失……我们在儿时没有玩具。