Pigeon English (29 page)

The first book I remember falling in love with was probably
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
by Mark Twain
.
I remember being given a copy by my grandparents when I was six or seven. It’s the first book I remember reading over and over again, and also the first book that made me think, ‘I would like to do that.’

6
. Can you give us a hint about your next novel?

I can tell you that it’s based on a real-life character I know, an Indian man who has a very unusual hobby: he’s a serial world record breaker in bizarre and wonderful feats of physical endurance and strength. The book is part biography of him and part novel, and I hope to have it finished in the near future.

Stephen Kelman was born in Luton in 1976. After finishing his degree he worked variously as a warehouse operative, a careworker, and in marketing and local government administration. He decided to pursue his writing seriously in 2005, and has completed several feature screenplays since then.
Pigeon English
is his first novel; he is currently working on his second.