The 5-Minute Interview: Michel Faber, Author

Michel Faber's first novel, "Under the Skin", was shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Award. Faber, 47, will be attending the Manchester International Festival at the Ritz on 1 July to launch "Perverted by Language", a collection of short stories inspired by lyrics from The Fall.

If I weren't talking to you right now I'd be ...

Paying closer attention to Third Eye Foundation album that's playing in the background.

A phrase I use far too often ...

I hardly ever speak these days, so I don't get the chance to overuse phrases. In my writing, I'm trying to cut down on adverbs.

I wish people would take more notice of ...

Things that have not been certified trendy or important by the media. It's as if people can't give themselves permission to be deeply affected by something unless it's given an official stamp of approval.

A common misperception of me is ...

That, because I wrote a novel set in the 19th century, I must be a big fan of historicals. Publishers send me advance proofs of neo-Victorian doorstoppers hoping I'll endorse them. I sample a few pages, groan, and toss the book aside.

The most surprising thing to happen to me was ...

My wife.

I'm good at ...

Inserting tablets down a cat's gullet without getting scratched or distressing the cat.

I'm very bad at...

Making whoopee. I wish I could just get drunk, dance all night and laugh till I wet myself. But it isn't going to happen.

I am not a politician but ...

No buts. People fantasise about all the wonderful things they'd do if they had political power. What really happens is that you become a treacherous creep in an expensive suit shaking hands with despots, frauds and genocidal maniacs.

The ideal night out is ...

Walking home again, at a leisurely pace. Preferably after a superb meal or an interesting gig or a glimpse of an undomesticated animal on the streets. A squirrel will do.

In moments of weakness ...

Revert to the negative behaviour patterns that come with depression. I have to remind myself life is a gift and tomorrow is a new day. All that cheesy esteem-boosting pep talk in self-help books is true. Easy to mock, but wise.

You know me as a writer but in another life I'd have been a ...

Lizard. Virtually brainless yet sharply alive, basking in the sun, oblivious to the existence of such toxic phenomena as religious fundamentalism, corporate corruption and Britney Spears.

In a nutshell, my philosophy is this ...

Don't watch TV, avoid insincere people, and don't listen to music made by anyone who employs a stylist. That cuts out 99 per cent of what's on offer, and still leaves enough good stuff to fill 1,000 lifetimes.

Sara Newman