Published in the Sunday Times
The Last Horseman
David Gilman (Head of Zeus)
What books are on your bedside table?
My House in Damascus by Diana Darke, Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz, A Single Swallow by Horatio Clare, A Hero of France by Alan Furst, and Woman of the Dead by Bernhard Aichner.
The last thing you read that made you laugh out loud?
The late, great Tom Sharpe was always guaranteed to make me laugh. So too, Joseph Heller and his Catch 22.
Which book changed your life?
No one book has done that. But George MacDonald Fraser (Flashman, in particular) has been a constant companion and cannot be bettered. Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood made a strong impression, as did Norman Mailer’s The Executioner’s Song.
What keeps you awake at night?
The current book I’m writing, and thinking about the one that I am not.
Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with?
Dickens and Beethoven.
What is the best piece of writerly advice you have received?
Never give up – from my father when I was a boy, but it has served me well.
Do you keep a diary?
No, but there’s a visual record fairly well lodged in my mind.
What novel would you give a child to introduce them to literature?
I have never subscribed to the idea that books should be age-related. I would take them to a library and let them choose.
What phrases do you overuse?
I’ve no idea/Haven’t got a clue. (These being the phrases.)
What are you working on next?
Two or three things are bubbling along. More historical fiction, a crime/thriller novel and a novel set in World War II.
Do you prefer fiction or nonfiction? Why?
Nonfiction fascinates me. It plays a big part in my life because of my research, but to read a well-written work of fiction is a joy.
Book details
- The Last Horseman by David Gilman
EAN: 9781784974558
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