In a revealing interview, the acclaimed author Andrew Miller has shared the literary works that forged his path as a writer, from childhood favourites to philosophical awakenings. The novelist, whose latest work 'The Land in Winter' is published by Sceptre, detailed the profound influence of authors from DH Lawrence to Albert Camus.
The Spark of Inspiration: From Lawrence to Shakespeare
Miller pinpointed the precise moment his desire to write was ignited. At the age of 17, while studying for his A-levels, he read D.H. Lawrence's 'The Rainbow'. The experience was transformative. "I found the book overwhelming," Miller recalled. "I felt I was being shown Life." The novel's final scenes were so powerful they physically moved him. "The final scenes of the novel forced me on to my feet. I was madly excited," he said, noting that he could think of no better life than attempting to create something similar.
He also reflected on the book's controversial history, noting that in 1915, more than 1,000 copies were burned by censors. This act of suppression stood in stark contrast to the era's acceptance of the mass casualties of the First World War.
An earlier, formative encounter with literature came at age 12, not from a book but from a play. Performing as Cobweb in an outdoor school production of Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' in the Wiltshire countryside at dusk left an indelible mark. "The atmosphere poured into me," he said, describing the experience as a sensual and magical collision of worlds.
Philosophical Cool and Late-Discovered Genius
As a young man seeking intellectual rigour and a certain French style, Miller turned to Albert Camus and 'The Myth of Sisyphus'. "I was 18, not remotely suicidal, but wanting to be cleverer and a bit French," he admitted. He characterised Camus's philosophy as one of stylish, clear-eyed acceptance in the face of absurdity. "Camus is very cool," Miller stated. "One is to be stylish. One does not make a fuss. One notices everything."
It was not until his mid-thirties that Miller discovered the work of Penelope Fitzgerald, starting with her final novel, 'The Blue Flower'. He described the book, based on the life of an 18th-century German poet, as "thrillingly strange" and an "obvious masterpiece". He praised Fitzgerald's ability to channel a lifetime's insight into a portrait of various madnesses, resulting in a profoundly sane work.
Comfort Reads and Enduring Influences
Miller's literary roots stretch back to childhood, where his earliest reading memory involves sitting with his mother and Patricia King's 'Mabel the Whale'. As a boy obsessed with Ancient Rome, his favourite was Rosemary Sutcliff's 'The Eagle of the Ninth', a story of lost Roman legions in Britain, often read in bed with his father.
For comfort, he nostalgically longs for his old Tintin albums by Hergé, which he and his brother devoured as boys, despite acknowledging the creator's controversial wartime record.
He also discussed authors he has returned to over time. After years of avoiding James Joyce out of a misplaced loyalty to D.H. Lawrence, he finally read 'Dubliners' and realised "you don't have to choose". Recently, he has been re-reading E.M. Forster, impressed by the author's "deep sanity" and urgent call for emotional maturity, particularly in works like 'Where Angels Fear to Tread' and 'A Room with a View'.
Currently, Miller is reading Tom Holland's 'Dominion', a history of Christianity's cultural influence, alongside the collected poems of Elizabeth Bishop, whose work he admires for its "calm authority".
