From his Q & A with Arifa Akbar at the Independent:
Choose a favourite author, and say why you admire her/himRead the complete Q & A.
RK Narayan. I love his collection of short stories, 'Malguldi Days'. In my view, it's a masterpiece. He will write about a tax collector in a small village and you have to turn to the next page. He has a gift for taking the ordinary and making it very special indeed. A gifted storyteller.
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Which fictional character most resembles you?
Tigger and Sydney Carton [from 'A Tale of Two Cities']. It was Ann Leslie who first called me Tigger and I'm proud to be him.
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Who is your hero/heroine from outside literature?
George Mallory, who in 1924 did, or did not, conquer Mount Everest in hobnail boots and a three-piece suit.
See Jeffrey Archer's top ten romans-fleuves.
--Marshal Zeringue