One Minute With: Tash Aw

Where are you and what can you see?

I'm in London in the basement of my flat, looking out onto the tiniest of courtyards with bamboo trees.

What are you currently reading?

I just finished reading Brothers by Yu Hua, which was a huge book in China a few years ago.

Choose a favourite author and say why you like her/him

Herman Melville because he plugs into the deepest recesses of our imaginations where the concious mind is afraid to go.

What distracts you from writing?

I'm really easily distracted. The Internet is one means of procrastination so I have to be strict with it.

Describe the room where you usually write

It's simple, square and in the middle is a round table with books lining the walls.

Which fictional character most resembles you?

Sometimes I imagine I'll end up like Joseph Conrad's Almayer in some obscure place living a sad lifestyle, although there's something pure about living within your memories.

What are your readers like when you meet them?

They are generally very charming. South East Asian readers tend to be much more familiar; they lack the English reserve.

Who is your hero/heroine from outside literature?

Murray Rose, who was a great Australian swimmer. He became a huge star in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. I'm an obsessive swimmer and I love his utter dedication to the thing he devoted himself to in life, and did things no one expected him to.

Tash Aw's 'Map of the Invisible World' is published by Fourth Estate.