Ten literary works that have significantly impacted my writing
Master and Margarita Mikhail Bulgakov
Madam Bovary Gustave Flaubert
Fairytales Hans Christian Andersen
Collected Short Stories Anton Chekhov
Slouching towards Bethlehem Joan Didion
Lolita Vladimir Nabokov
The Count of Monte Cristo Alexander Dumas
Alice in Wonderland Lewis Caroll
Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories Arthur Conan Doyle
The Unbearable Lightness of Being Milan Kundera
Ten current favourite contemporary fiction books
Something to Tell You Hanif Kureishi
Freedom Jonathan Franzen
Night Letters Robert Dessaix
Flaubert’s Parrot Julian Barnes
The Hotel New Hampshire John Irving
The Bloody Chamber Angela Carter
Neapolitan Novels Elena Ferrante
Fear of Flying Erica Jong
Leviathan Paul Auster
Brick Lane Monica Ali
Ten current favourite creative non-fiction books
Out of Sheer Rage Geoff Dyer
In Cold Blood Truman Capote
The Silent Woman Janet Malcolm
Stasiland Anna Funder
Slouching Towards Bethlehem Joan Didion
Joe Cinque’s Consolations Helen Garner
My Struggle Karl Ove Knausgaard
Truth and Beauty Ann Patchett
Say Her Name Francisco Goldman
The Possessed Elif Batuman
Ten current favourite non-fiction books
Anais Nin: Biography Deirdre Bair
Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar Simon Sebag Montefiore
Mating in Captivity Esther Perel
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals Oliver Burkeman
The Golden Maze Richard Fidler
Communism: A Brief History Richard Pipes
Uncommon Arrangements: Seven Marriages Katie Rophie
The Bohemians Dan Franck
Intellectuals Paul Johnson
Natasha’s Dance: A Cultural History of Russia Orlando Figes
Ten books I know I should love, but I don’t
Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad
The Old Man and the Sea Ernest Hemingway
The Sound and the Fury William Faulkner
Possession AS Byatt
Enemies, a Love Story Isaac Bashevis Singer
The Portrait of a Lady Henry James
The Alexandria Quartet Lawrence Durrell
Animal Farm George Orwell
The English Patient Michael Ondaatje
Anything by Kafka
Ten writers I am besotted with
Nikolai Gogol
Angela Carter
Karl Ove Knausgaard
Rachel Cusk
Elena Ferrante
Erich Maria Remarque
Robert Dessaix
Katie Roiphe
Margaret Duras
Milan Kundera