Nicholas Shakespeare

And the ambassador in Uruguay, Jackson, had been kidnapped by the Tupperwares.

And so I read The Honorary Consul, which is a wonderful book.

And later, when I did have the fortune to meet Green, he said to me that it was his favorite novel.

And I asked him why.

He said, well, because the character changes during the course of it, which is very difficult to do.

That always struck me as an interesting ambition to have, to have your character change in the course of what he or she experiences in a novel.

Anyway, I then went on to read all Green's other novels, and he up there,

The one other writer I haven't mentioned, but I think he's up there with him is Patrick White, the great Australian novelist.

I mean, he's so colossal to me in my landscape, but he's up there with Green.

They're like these solitary eucalypts in a flat landscape.

They probably sour the land beneath them for too many imitators, but they are pretty amazing and they tolerate rereading.

Green, you know, like Patrick White, he's written about half a dozen absolute masterpieces, which can't be said of most writers.

And he also wrote about the countries where I, because of my father's diplomatic career, I also lived.

So, you know, Cambodia, where I grew up, heavily reflected the quiet American, Argentina reflected the honorary consul, then

My grandfather, who had taught at the Dragon, lived in Brighton and Green knew him.

And years later, I got to know Green a bit.

I visited him in Antibes and I filmed him for a documentary I made for the BBC on Evelyn Waugh.

And so we would discuss literature, his influences, and he became a very important, he is a very important figure in my literary landscape.

Well, I mean, one has to kick off with that old bruise of Voss because, I mean, it's slightly humorless, but it is absolutely imperishable.

But I would also nominate, I mean, I don't think he's written a dud one, but I loved Murray Bale recommended to me A Fringe of Leaves, which I think is absolutely superb.