Published in the Sunday Times
Which books are on your bedside table?
J by Howard Jacobson, a haunting novel that I have now re-read three times, the delightfully silly Francis Plug: How to be a Public Author, by Paul Ewen, and Michael Faber’s The Crimson Petal and the White.
Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with?
A lift engineer.
Which book changed your life?
There are so many great books and powerful reading experiences that it’s hard to pick one, but I think EP Thompson’s The Making of the English Working Class made me understand the real importance of writing history, and the passion that a great historian can bring to the subject.
Which current book will you remember in 10 years’ time?
It’s probably too soon to tell – but I keep re-reading Henry James’ The Golden Bowl.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
I have a great liking for “really” when I don’t mean, “is that accurate or truthful” but really mean, “do you think I am fool enough to believe this”, but I am too polite to say so.
What novel would you give a child to introduce them to literature?
A Room with a View by EM Forster and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
What are you most proud of writing?
I’m very proud of my new book The King’s Curse because it takes on the myth of Henry VIII’s charm and shows him as a tyrant, a despot and a wife-killer.
What is the last thing that you read that made you laugh out loud?
I laughed at the Francis Plug book, above.
What is the strangest thing you’ve done when researching a book?
Years ago I was expelled from the Georgian House at Bath for ducking under the rope and peering up the chimney. I wanted to know if you were a Georgian lady seated at the fireside whether you could actually see the sky. (You can.)
What are you working on next?
I am working on a novel about Katherine Parr, the last wife of Henry VIII.
The King’s Curse by Philippa Gregory is published by Simon & Schuster.
Book details
- The King’s Curse by Philippa Gregory
EAN: 9781451626117
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Photo courtesy of Simon & Schuster