Deborah Moggach is the author of many novels, including The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Tulip Fever, and two collections of stories. Her screenplays include Pride and Prejudice, which was nominated for a BAFTA. Her latest novel, Final Demand, is published by Overlook Press (June 6, 2017).
On your nightstand now:
The Past by Tessa Hadley, who is just about my favourite living novelist. Read her and you'll find out.
Favorite book when you were a child:
Just William by Richmal Crompton. So terribly funny--I still laugh when I read it.
Your top five authors:
Beryl Bainbridge, Arnold Bennett, Tessa Hadley (see above), J.G. Farrell and Agatha Christie (I know her prose is a bit clunky, but I'm utterly hooked on her plots).
Book you've faked reading:
Herzog by Saul Bellow. I've actually tried to read it a couple of times, and gave up.
Book you're an evangelist for:
The Old Wives' Tale by Arnold Bennett. A panoramic novel about two sisters that takes us through events from Victorian times to the 20th century, and a true masterpiece--now largely forgotten.
Book you've bought for the cover:
The Essex Serpent, a recent bestseller by a first-time author that has the most ravishing jacket. Book covers are hugely improving, as an inducement to wean readers off e-books.
Book you hid from your parents:
Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller. Though actually my parents (who were both writers) were pretty liberal.
Book that changed your life:
I can't think of one. I think, in subtle ways, all the wonderful novels I've read.
Favorite line from a book:
Re-running a bottle-top factory in Anne Tyler's Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant: "It's not half as exciting as it sounds."
Five books you'll never part with:
A novel each by my favourite authors (see above).
Book you most want to read again for the first time:
The Siege of Krishnapur by J.G. Farrell. A revelation. I loved every single sentence and can remember my joy when I first read it. And indeed, read it again.
