Thursday, February 9, 2012

Nick Harkaway

Nick Harkaway was born in Cornwall in 1972. He studied philosophy, sociology and politics at Clare College, Cambridge, and then worked in the film industry. His fiction debut was The Gone-Away World.

His new book, Angelmaker, is out in the US in March.

From Harkaway's Q & A with Boyd Tonkin at the Independent:

Choose a favourite author, and say why you admire her/him

Alexandre Dumas. I return to him over and over again: 'The Count of Monte Cristo' and 'The Three Musketeers'. Splendid adventures – Byzantine, strange and eminently readable.
* * *

Which fictional character most resembles you?

I used desperately to want to be a brooding hero from literature, but I'm optimistic, healthy and fair-haired. In terms of personality, I'm more Porthos [from 'The Three Muskteers'] than Aramis.
* * *

Who is your hero/heroine from outside literature?

The women of Bletchley Park [the code-breaking centre], who did all that amazing work, did it in total silence, and never told. It's a story to break your heart.
Read the complete Q & A.

--Marshal Zeringue