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.
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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.
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