Five books that inspire Jeffrey Archer

On Monday, Jeffrey Archer's fans were packed in tight in a South Mumbai bookstore, to hear the British author speak. Archer, a frequent visitor to the country, opted for the dialogue format over the monologue one, taking questions from the eager audience.

In response to one, asking him about the books that inspire him, he shared a list of his top five reads. Here's what he said about each of them:

Beware of Pity by Stefan Zweig



I was at a dinner party in Delhi five years ago. An Indian lady told me her fi ve favourite books. I started reading one of her favourites that night and I loved it. It's a work of genius. Here's a frightening story about it. In 1939, Zweig was the most popular author on earth. He then committed suicide because of Hitler and his books went out of print. A very good publishing house in England brought them back.

Malgudi Days by RK Narayan



When I was in Mumbai 15 years ago, a lady told me about RK Narayan. What a wonderful author! I think Malgudi Days is one of the greatest books of all time because Narayan was both a writer and a storyteller.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck



It is a remarkable piece of writing about two tramps. How can you write 200 pages about two tramps? You can if you are a genius.

The Count Of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas



I thought I wanted to write a modern day version of it. Of course, the classic is 1,200 pages long. No one would do that nowadays. About 300-400 pages are what anyone would take. When I wrote Kane and Abel in fact, it was one hell of a challenge for me as this book is one of my all-time favourites.

The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan



For anyone who likes thrillers, I think this is a fantastic read. I have been inspired by these books. There is no fi rst among equals here. But these are the fi ve books I would pick.