‘The buck stops here’
Novelist Gwendoline Riley talks about her obsessive need to write, and why she'll never have childrenGwendoline Riley readily admits that her need to write borders on the obsessive. "Definitely," she says, eyes lowered as though revealing some intimate...
Sadie Jones: ‘You imagine a cathedral and on the page it’s a garden shed’
The novelist on the perils of writing and why she was scared to watch DowntonSadie Jones is living under a self-imposed internet ban. "There's a sign on my desk saying: 'Do not Google the book today,'" she says, drinking a double espresso, elbows propp...
Anne Enright: ‘Love is a great punishment for desire’
The Booker-winning Irish novelist on infidelity, Ireland's financial crisis and combining writing with motherhoodThe Forgotten Waltz is about the damage wreaked by infidelity and the tricky relationship between a young girl, Evie, her father, Sean, and...
The joy of teaching children to write
Inspired by his friend Dave Eggers, Irish novelist Roddy Doyle set up Fighting Words to nurture the creative skills of deprived children – with a little help from some big namesIt is a Monday morning in the heart of Dublin. In a light, airy room situ...
Q&A: Alistair Darling
The former chancellor on the banking crisis, facial hair, and why the plan for Greece puts him in mind of VersaillesYour memoir, Back from the Brink, was praised for its measured tone. Were you not tempted to stab a few backs?Oh no. I wanted to write a...
This Is Paradise by Will Eaves – review
Elizabeth Day admires an intricately rendered patchwork of family lifeWill Eaves's third novel describes itself, via its blurb, as a book about an "ordinary" family. However, Eaves evidently does not see himself as an "ordinary" author. Instead of adop...
Vincent Cassel: ‘You can’t escape from what you are’
The actor, trained ballet dancer, and husband of Monica Bellucci is a man of hidden depths. In his latest role, he plays an anarchic disciple of Sigmund Freud. So, asks Elizabeth Day, did he get to the bottom of why he's drawn to the dark side?Vincent ...
She’s Leaving Home by Joan Bakewell – review
Joan Bakewell's second novel explores the postwar era to winning effect, but is a little heavy on the period detailI must begin by saying that I love Joan Bakewell. I think the act of criticising her should be made illegal, perhaps outlawed as a c...
‘You know you’re queer at an early age’
The art critic talks about his autobiography, modern artists and an incident in Salvador Dalí's gardenYou have just written your memoir, Outsider, at the age of 80. What took you so long?I thought at 60 it would have been impertinent. When 80 got into...
Never out of Vogue: Alexandra Shulman