▁writing ▁as ▁follows : ▁" I ▁don ' t ▁write ▁fiction ▁for ▁people ▁to ▁identify ▁with ▁and ▁I ▁don ' t ▁write ▁a ▁picture ▁of ▁the ▁world ▁they ▁can ▁recogn ise . ▁I ▁write ▁to ▁aston ish ▁people ." ▁" What ▁exc ites ▁me ▁is ▁to ▁disturb ▁the ▁reader ' s ▁fundamental ▁assumptions . ▁I ▁want ▁to ▁make ▁them ▁feel ▁that ▁certain ▁categories ▁within ▁which ▁they ▁are ▁used ▁to ▁perce iving ▁the ▁world ▁are ▁un stable ." ▁ ▁Self ▁was ▁a ▁v ora cious ▁reader ▁from ▁a ▁young ▁age . ▁When ▁he ▁was ▁ten , ▁he ▁developed ▁an ▁interest ▁in ▁works ▁of ▁science ▁fiction ▁such ▁as ▁Frank ▁Herbert ' s ▁D une ▁and ▁those ▁of ▁J . ▁G . ▁Ball ard ▁and ▁Philip ▁K . ▁Dick . ▁Self ▁adm ires ▁the ▁work ▁of ▁J . ▁G . ▁Ball ard , ▁Al as da ir ▁Gray , ▁and ▁Martin ▁Am is . ▁He ▁previously ▁adm ired ▁ ▁William ▁B urr ough s ▁but ▁went ▁off ▁him . ▁He ▁has ▁c ited ▁influ ences ▁such ▁as ▁Jonathan ▁Swift , ▁Franz ▁K afka , ▁Lewis ▁Car roll , ▁and ▁Joseph ▁H eller ▁as ▁form ative ▁influ ences ▁on ▁his ▁writing ▁style . ▁Other ▁influ ences ▁on ▁his ▁fiction ▁include ▁Hunter ▁S . ▁Thompson . ▁Self ▁cred its ▁C é line ' s ▁book ▁J our ney ▁to ▁the ▁End ▁of ▁the ▁Night ▁with ▁insp iring ▁him ▁to ▁write ▁fiction . ▁ ▁Z ack ▁Bus ner ▁is ▁a ▁rec urr ing ▁character ▁in ▁Self ' s ▁fiction