SOURCE: Quindlen, Anna, and Alexander M. Santora. “Anna Quindlen: From the '60s to the '90s.” Commonweal 119, no. 3 (14 February 1992): 9-13.

In the following interview, Quindlen discusses the role of a columnist, the relationship between her life and her work, and her relationship with the Catholic Church.

[Santora]: Where did you grow up?

[Quindlen]: I was born in Philadelphia. My mother was from South Philadelphia, which was predominantly Italian; my father was from West Philadelphia, which was predominantly Irish. I grew up in a suburb of Philadelphia called Drexel Hill.

What prompted you to come to Hoboken?

My husband is a New Jersey native. He went to Rutgers' Law School and knew he was going to practice law here and didn't like the idea of being a carpetbagger. I love New York City. I think it's the center of the universe. I would never live anywhere else if...