Jenni Fagan: ‘Maya Angelou taught me that I owed myself hope’

The Scottish author on loving The Hobbit, fairytales, Frankenstein and the shock of A Clockwork Orange

My earliest reading memory

Fairytales. I was obsessed. I took fairytales very seriously as moral lessons. I soon knew that I’d always help any old lady cross the road, it really is always best to do so.

My favourite book growing up

The Hobbit was my favourite book while growing up. It expanded my understanding of what could be achieved in fiction. I found JRR Tolkien’s world transformative. I felt as if I knew the hobbits, and I so wanted to see the elves. I could hear the crack of fireworks as they turned into dragons that flew overhead.
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