Born in London, Bernadine Evaristo, 61, has published eight books of fiction and verse. Girl, Woman, Other won the Booker prize in 2019 and fiction book of the year at the British Book awards in June. Currently professor of creative writing at Brunel University, she lives in London with her husband.
When were you happiest?
When I met my husband, David, in 2006, on Dating Direct.
What is your greatest fear?
Mental incapacity in old age.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Not being able to stick to my resolutions.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Snobbery.
What was your most embarrassing moment?
Asking somebody at the youth theatre, where I spent my childhood, to sleep with me in French. I was 14 or 15 and was turned down. Just as well – too young.
Property aside, what’s the most expensive thing you’ve bought?
A pair of Russell & Bromley boots with studs. I have had them for eight years and wear them all the time.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
I’m going to say nothing, like a good feminist.
What is the worst thing anyone’s said to you?
“You’re not there yet.” The reason a festival promoter wouldn’t book me in 1995. I had published a book and I found it really patronising. That’s how hard it was then for a black British woman writer to break through.
What is your guiltiest pleasure?
Celebrity gossip.
Have you ever said ‘I love you’ and not meant it?
No, but I’ve said it and changed my mind.
What do you owe your parents?
My introduction to political activism. My dad was a Labour councillor, the first black man to sit on Greenwich council. My mother was a teacher and the trade union rep at school.
To whom would you most like to say sorry, and why?
The people I never thanked for what they selflessly gave me in my career; when I was younger I just took it for granted.
Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?
Michelle O, Mary Seacole, Boudicca, Bessie Smith, Zora Neale Hurston and Sappho.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Sorry, thank you and amazing.
What is the worst job you’ve done?
On a cosmetics production line. I walked out after half a day.
When did you last cry, and why?
I cried after I won the Booker.
How often do you have sex?
Eight times a day, and that’s when we’re not feeling horny!
What is the closest you’ve come to death?
Travelling Europe with a friend, when I was 29. She was driving and the brakes went, on one of those vertiginous Italian mountains. It was terrifying for the 20 minutes it took to coast down the mountain.
What has been your closest brush with the law?
I was told off for riding my bike on the pavement two years ago by a copper.
What song would you like played at your funeral?
Disappear by Beyoncé.
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
To go for what you want and to never, ever give up.
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