Nathan Filer: One minute interview

Where are you now and what can you see?

I’m at the BBC recording Front Row and apparently I’m looking at a brass bust of Henry Wood. The statue is in the foyer.

What are you currently reading?

A book on my Kindle called To the Pines by Paul Abbott. It’s an interesting book set in America, in a dark, brooding town, with echoes of William Faulkner. It is a self-published book and I met the author on my master’s degree in creative writing. He’s very gifted.

Choose a favourite author and say why you admire her/him?

There are many that I admire, but my favourite is Ian McEwan. I discovered The Cement Garden when I was about 18, and I was struck by the quality of his prose. I think that he is a perfect writer in many ways and never wastes a word. I really love his early era of writing when he was known as Ian Macabre.

Describe the room where you usually write

It’s very quiet as I can’t have any music on while I’m working. All I can vaguely hear is the baby playing downstairs. It’s not particularly inspiring but I have a desk which was given to me by my parents years ago. It has followed me from house to house.

Which fictional character most resembles you?

I would have to give a comic answer of Stanley, the character in the children’s story who posts himself around the world in an envelope.

Who is your favourite heroine/hero from outside literature?

My wife. She’s a person of great integrity. She’s kind and she tolerates me, and she’s good fun!

Nathan Filer’s debut novel, ‘The Shock of the Fall’, won the Costa Book of the Year Award. It is published by HarperCollins