When do you find time to read?
It's been very hard since I joined the ABC. During a three-week yoga and meditation retreat in Gokarna, India, last March, I read about a book a day. There was no mobile coverage, which helped.
Fiction or non-fiction?
I usually have both on the go – fiction because there's nothing like being swept up in a great story and non-fiction for the unexpected insights and the depth of analysis.
How do you decide what to read?
I ask my very well-read friends what they're reading – people like [restaurateur] Michelle Garnaut, who founded the Shanghai International Literary Festival, can always be relied on for great advice.
Which book would you like adapted for the ABC?
I've read many great Australian books that would translate well to screen, and it shouldn't just be the ABC looking to make them. I'm thinking of The Night Guest by Fiona McFarlane, Carpentaria by Alexis Wright and Flesh Wounds by Richard Glover.
You've spent a lot of time in Asia and speak Mandarin. Which Asian authors do you suggest?
Chinese writer Yu Hua, Pakistani writer Mohammed Hanif, Kim Young-ha from South Korea, and famous Chinese writer Lu Xun – he's a great writer to reread.
What's on your bedside table?
Victoria the Queen by Julia Baird and Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien.
The AFR Magazine's annual Arts issue is out on Friday, February 24 inside The Australian Financial Review.
