Chronicler's corner

Tte--tte

It’s 6 pm. He’s just finished his lunch. He’s now relishing his dessert of Crème Brûlée. I walk in. Like a true gentleman, he greets me with a big smile and a warm handshake.

He then steps back, and stumps me with this query: “Are you a Bengaluru girl?” I reply in the affirmative. He poses this to me, “Then explain to me why the women in Bengaluru are so well-dressed, so clean? I don’t see it in Kolkata, I don’t see it in Mumbai, I don’t see it in Delhi, but it strikes me here.” I have no answer to his query. I smile back at him and tell him I’ll accept it as a compliment on behalf of all the women in Bengaluru. He seems pleased with my answer. “Maybe it’s Bengaluru,” he says, setting a friendly tone to the freewheeling chat I have with him, Jeffrey Archer, the master storyteller who has just launched This Was A Man, the final instalment in the seven-book Clifton Chronicles series.

The British author known for bestsellers like Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less, Kane and Abel, First Among Equals, A Prisoner of Birth, and many more, has a few quirks to his credit, too. Like, to this day, he writes his stories in longhand, with his favourite Pilot pen, and doesn’t sign books in any pen offered to him, but a particular one in black ink. Well, it’s these quirks that make the man, and his stories, special, I guess. Over the course of the chat, the Baron of Bestsellers’ emotions range from surprise to joy to disappointment and contentment. Excerpts from the interview:

Now that you have wrapped up ‘Clifton Chronicles’, what’s the feeling like?

I honestly miss Harry and Emma and Giles, and the wicked lady Virginia, but it had to come to an end at some point. So, I was in a way glad to have that done.

Are you happy with the way you have ended it?

Yeah. The critics said that it was the best thing I have done since Kane and Abel.

How much are your characters inspired by people you have known or met in real life?

Well, in the Clifton Chronicles, I am Harry, my wife is Emma, and my mother is Maisie. I get them all in. My family are all there.

What’s on your plate next?

Short stories, about 84 of them, that I have collected over the last 10 years. They’ll come out in March next year.

Did you pen anything when the ‘Clifton Chronicles’ were on?

No, no, no. My brain was totally with the Cliftons and the Barringtons.

Would you attempt another family saga?

No, I don’t think so. I am 76 years old. There was a challenge in writing the Clifton Chronicles when I was 70. So, no, I don’t think I would write another family saga.

Your first novel, ‘Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less’, was published in 1976. About 40 years and 35 books later, do you see any difference in the art of storytelling?

No, not in the art of storytelling. However, there’s been a big change in publishing itself, not in India, but in Britain and America, where e-books are very popular, very strong.

What do you attribute your popularity in India to? What about your stories appeals to us, Indians?

Strange. I can’t explain it. But it’s shocking, too. (He shows me a selfie he’s taken a few hours ago, in Christ College, where he was among 2,800 young fans of his.) It’s amazing. It has to be the stories. They love Kane and Abel, they love several other books, they love the Clifton Chronicles.

In two words, your life as a writer...

Very satisfying.

How do you define success?
In my case, it would be how many people read me. Because people can get fed up very quickly. So, success is when the
figures just grow and grow.

You grew up reading...

I guess I started on Just William by Richmal Crompton, Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome, Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, and moved on to John Buchan, with theperpetual run of reading Shakespeare all my life, Elena Ferrante and Ian Fleming.

Your current read...

Last week, I went back and read William Boyd, because he’s such a fine writer. And the week before, I was reading a thriller, which I won’t tell you, because I was a bit disappointed.

Your all-time favourite read...

Stefan Zweig’s Beware of Pity. I think it’s a masterpiece. And, you should read it.

Who would you most like to sit next to at a dinner party?

I’d like to have met Nelson Mandela, I’d like to have met Thomas Jefferson, I’d like to have met the Mahatma. That would have made a good dinner party.

Who would you choose to play you in a film about your life?

(With a mischievous grin) I hear that Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt are fighting for that privilege. They are on the line every few minutes demanding the role, now that Harrison Ford is too old to play it.

What’s your worst nightmare?

Not being able to write.

What music do you enjoy?

Am a huge Sinatra fan. Also enjoy Sammy Davis Jr and Ella Fitzgerald.

Your favourite dish...

Shepherd’s Pie.

What keeps you awake at night?

The thought that India will beat England in cricket. The annoying thing is that, we got rid of Sachin Tendulkar, we got rid of Rahul Dravid, we got rid of VVS Laxman, and I think your number four and five are just as good. It’s really annoying.

What do you do to unwind?

Am a charity auctioneer. That’s my hobby. And I love going to the theatre and the art galleries.

What book do you wish you had written?

The Thirty-Nine Steps by Scottish author John Buchan.

What are you most proud of writing?

I like the Clifton Chronicles as a body of books, but I think my favourite is Paths of Glory, because it’s a one-off.

Your favourite place in the world...

Lord’s Cricket Ground, London.

If you had another shot at things, what would you do differently?

Never look back. It’s a waste of time looking back, always look forward.

Your most cherished dream...

Captaining the England cricket team.

If granted three wishes, what would they be?

To never get dementia; to be alive to go on writing; to die penniless.

Something that’s always trendy...

Good manners towards women. That’s what puts me off about Trump.
His language is just unforgivable.

Your favourite haunt...

I love St Petersburg in Russia because of its Hermitage Art Gallery. I have been there eight times. It’s a massive gallery. I still haven’t been able to cover it fully. I’m not sure whether I’ll ever be...