The bestselling novelist will discuss his new book, "Air", at the Stratford Literary Festival on 10 May.
Old School
I love novels that feature fictionalised versions of authors, and this one – set at an elite boarding school in 1960s America – is among the best. The teenage narrator longs to be a writer, encountering Robert Frost, Ayn Rand and Ernest Hemingway during his final year and making some questionable choices that he lives to regret.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Barracuda
Christos Tsiolkas, 2013
My favourite 21st century novel is Tsiolkas's "The Slap", but this is also in the top ten. The tale of a young Greek-Australian swimmer with aspirations towards the Sydney Olympics; he's good, but just not good enough. What does it mean to fail, especially when so young? Tsiolkas answers that in a novel that utterly succeeds.
The Mysterious Affair at Styles
Agatha Christie, 1920
Every year, I read at least two Christie novels; she's my comfort read. Privileged rich people killing other privileged rich people and being dashed upset about it all; what's not to love? This was her first novel. There was only greatness to come.
Night
Elie Wiesel, 1956
The first book to inform me of the Holocaust, it was the start of a lifelong education that continues to this day, inspiring some of my own most famous novels. It remains one of the most upsetting but important narratives ever committed to print. Essential reading.
My Uncle Oswald
Roald Dahl, 1979
I read this as a teenager and loved it because, quite frankly, it's absolutely filthy. Uncle Oswald cuts a swathe around the world's women, making Casanova look like a monk. As each of his adventures is more libidinous than the last, it's definitely not one for Dahl's younger readers.
Titles in print are available from The Week Bookshop
-
Australia’s teens brace for social media banIn The Spotlight Under-16s will be banned from having accounts on major platforms
-
Labour’s dilemma on workers’ rightsThe Explainer TUC says Employment Rights Bill is ‘essential to better quality, more secure jobs’ but critics warn of impact on economic growth
-
Coaches’ salary buyouts are generating questions for collegesUnder the Radar ‘The math doesn’t seem to math,’ one expert said
-
Film reviews: ‘Hamnet,’ ‘Wake Up Dead Man’ and ‘Eternity’Feature Grief inspires Shakespeare’s greatest play, a flamboyant sleuth heads to church and a long-married couple faces a postmortem quandary
-
We Did OK, Kid: Anthony Hopkins’ candid memoir is a ‘page-turner’The Week Recommends The 87-year-old recounts his journey from ‘hopeless’ student to Oscar-winning actor
-
The Mushroom Tapes: a compelling deep dive into the trial that gripped AustraliaThe Week Recommends Acclaimed authors team up for a ‘sensitive and insightful’ examination of what led a seemingly ordinary woman to poison four people
-
‘Chess’feature Imperial Theatre, New York City
-
‘Notes on Being a Man’ by Scott Galloway and ‘Bread of Angels: A Memoir’ by Patti Smithfeature A self-help guide for lonely young men and a new memoir from the godmother of punk
-
6 homes built in the 1700sFeature Featuring a restored Federal-style estate in Virginia and quaint farm in Connecticut
-
Film reviews: 'Wicked: For Good' and 'Rental Family'Feature Glinda the Good is forced to choose sides and an actor takes work filling holes in strangers' lives
-
Nick Clegg picks his favourite booksThe Week Recommends The former deputy prime minister shares works by J.M. Coetzee, Marcel Theroux and Conrad Russell
