Sunday, May 30, 2010

Authors Interview Themselves

When I interview authors for whatever publication, I always do my homework and go along prepared with a list of questions which I hope sound intelligent, cover all bases and which aren't exactly like the questions asked by every other interviewer because I'm sure fatigue must set in.  And I also add one last question to the list - What's the one question I didn't ask you that you would have liked me to ask?.  

The Guardian goes a step further in the wake of the Hay Festival, and invites authors to  submit the questions they would like to be asked and then answer them.  And as you might expect, there are some pretty eccentric items.  Chang-Rae Lee would love to be asked if he writes naked (no, but when it's very hot he writes in his "undershorts"); Jonathan Coe would love to be played by Cate Blanchett in a film about his life; and Roddy Doyle submits a list of questions he really can't believe he has been asked in interviews:
Is Roddy Doyle your real name?

Does your wife love you?

The internet says you have two children, yet you claim to have three?

How can you write accurately about the Dublin working class when you actually live in Los Angeles?

Are you friendly with any other Scottish writers?

1 comment:

Unknown said...

This is hilarious, Sharon! Loved Julian Barnes bits most!