Colm Tóibín

And someone said, well, of course, you'd be rooting for him since he's Irish.

And David Trimble said in a very rude way, no, I won't.

I haven't read his book.

I don't know anything about him.

And I thought, is this what I've come up with?

Is this what I set out, you know, is this what I set out and dumped my monkey suit?

Is this what I put, you know, is this what I put deodorant on so I could have to be insulted by David Trimble?

Yeah, and...

That was funny.

Actually, I have to say, it is all funny in retrospect.

And the fact that you're so susceptible to becoming famous is shocking and shameful.

And it's all your own fault.

And I'm sure the judges and the people who give the money mean well by wanting to have a prize for literature.

And the fact that, you know, the first year I was up for it, JM could say, who seems like the most sensible and talented person, just didn't turn up.

He won, of course.

But he didn't have to sit there.

And it would have been lovely to have met him.

But he just didn't bother turning up.

Yeah, really classy.

He's such a classy fellow.