Which other EAFOL 2016 participant are you most excited about? John Man, for the simple reason that he has written two forewords for me and yet we have never met in person. His generosity is boundless as is his skill in bringing to life both the steppes of Mongolia and the cities of China through his page-turner narrative histories. I'm going to cheat and also say John Julius Norwich because I have shamelessly tried to emulate his magisterial style that is matched by a light poise and directness that is simply delightful. Which book(s) are you reading now? The e-book I have on the go is Fifty Key thinkers on History and as a vade mecum I have The Discourses by Epictetus, it's a battered old copy that I keep dipping into. There's also an Italian book on Giovanni Medici Della Bande Nera sitting on my desk for translation... I've reached page 9. Very poor! Which literary character would you invite to dinner? And why? Becky Sharp from Vanity Fair. Dinner would then be a breathless and dangerous affair as you could not predict what she was going to do, say or propose at any point. Terrifying but irresistible. I'd settle for Molly Bloom from Ulysses if Becky wasn't available for the same reasons. There have been some interesting additions to the dictionary over the years. Which wordwould you remove? No words per se, but I would tear out the phrase 'hearts and minds' from any of the explanatory usages as it has drifted so far from its original usage that it has become a meaningless and hackneyed platitude. Who would write/ illustrate the story of your life? Anthony Burgess, simply because it needs a devastatingly powerful opening line and Burgess would understand me I feel. He 'wrote for bread', as Thackeray would say, so do I. I also keep his advice of '1000 words a day' close to my heart. Illustrations are not required for my life story as I never really knew what I was doing, who I was or what I wanted until I was thirty. llustrations are more likely to be found in children's books, my life has adult themes... now I've probably upset just about everybody...