The book I am currently reading
The Kiss and Other Stories by Anton Chekhov.
The book that changed my life
The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene.
The book I wish I’d written
Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov.
The book that had the greatest influence on my writing
Collected Poems by Elizabeth Bishop.
The book I think is most over-rated
Tender Is the Night by F Scott Fitzgerald.
The last book that made me laugh
All That Man Is by David Szalay.
The book I couldn’t finish
Too many to mention.
The book I’m most ashamed not to have read
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.
The book I most often give as a gift
A Far Cry from Kensington by Muriel Spark.
The book I’d most like to be remembered for
Any Human Heart (but it’ll probably be Nat Tate: An American Artist 1928-1960).
• William Boyd is doing an event at the Royal Festival Hall on 6 November. southbankcentre.co.uk
