What is your favourite film?

Too hard to choose, but I have a deep admiration for Adaptation.

And your favourite book?

Impossible! Some: The Transit of Venus, The Golden Age, Independence Day, The Solid Mandala.

Which word do you most dislike, and which would you like to see back in public usage?

I hate the words ‘bitch’ and ‘pimp’ and ‘porn’ used – even ironically – for everything from cookery to cars to home décor. I think we should all say ‘thrice’ again.

Who is your favourite author?

I don’t have a single favourite, but Joan London comes very close. Others include Richard Ford, Anne Enright, and Amy Bloom, particularly for her short stories.

And your favourite literary hero and heroine?

Paul Chowder from The Anthologist; and Nancy Drewe.

Name an early literary idol or influence whom you no longer admire – or vice versa.

For the life of me I couldn’t grasp the genius of Virginia Woolf when I was young. Now I can.

How old were you when your first book appeared?

Thirty-four.

What, if anything, impedes your writing?

Fear.

How do you regard publishers?

As individuals, with admiration (and my own, with love). As corporations, often with melancholy. As A.N. Wilson said, ‘I’m not saying all publishers have to be literary, but some interest in books would help.’

What do you think of the state of criticism?

In rare cases, brilliant. Often under-confident, which manifests either as robotic dullness, pomposity, or sneering in place of well-formed and elegantly articulated opinion.

If you had your time over again, would you choose to be a writer?

Maybe. If I had the talent or the patience, I would love to have been a visual artist.

What do you think of writers’ festivals?

Sometimes they’re a place for exhilarating conversations. At others, they’re a dispiriting combination of gushfest and sales pitch. But having met some of my most cherished friends at them, I’m grateful for festivals.

Do you feel artists are valued in our society?

Notwithstanding the gushfest above, artists are valued here as long as they don’t upset anybody or do anything provocative or risky. Braque said, ‘The function of art is to disturb. Science reassures.’ But in Australia we appear to think science is dangerous and we like our art to tell us what we already know.

What are you working on now?

A PhD on the psychology of creativity, and the tiny embryo of a new novel.