The Japan Times - Ken Follett: 'There can't be boring bits in my books'

The 76-year-old Welshman, who recently took French nationality, is in the final stages of a tour promoting his latest tome, the more than 600-page epic "Circle of Days".

At a stage of life when most people are slowing down, Follett said he still gets the same kicks -- and suffers from the same anxieties -- as he did when he started.

"If there's a page that is a bit dull, and millions of people are going to think that it's a bit dull, they're going to start losing interest," he explained during an interview in Paris.

"There can't be boring bits in my books."

The self-confessed "perfectionist" has finetuned an exacting writing method which, though prolific, has always entailed lengthy re-writes, edits and re-workings.

Every morning, he starts by re-reading his previous day's production and makes changes.

When he's finished a first draft, he types it all out again, making further amendments.

"When you're reading your own stuff it's too easy to be satisfied, but when you actually key it again, I always see ways in which the sentences can be improved," he explained.

His manuscript is then read by around a dozen friends and relatives who he trusts to give honest feedback, as well as paid historians who correct for inaccuracies.

How long will he put himself through the rigours of the writing, editing and promotional process -- the latter part he admits is tiring?

"It's too interesting to give it up. I won't look back and think to myself 'I could have gone on round-the-world cruises'. I can't think of anything more boring," he added.

- Far-right nationalism -

Follett has sold almost 200 million books worldwide since giving up journalism to become a writer in the late 1970s, with his best-known works "Pillars of Earth" and "Eye of the Needle".

His mix of best-selling historical fiction and chart-topping thrillers has generated pharaonic income that the son of a tax inspector has never sought to disguise.

"I enjoy this life that I've been living now for the past half a century," he said with a smile, gesturing at the privatised bar of the luxury George V hotel where he is speaking to journalists.

"Circle of Days" imagines the creation of the world-renowned Stonehenge monument, a circle of carved pre-historic stones in southern England which remains shrouded in mystery.

Unlike other books such as "Pillars of Earth" about medieval cathedral-building or his "Century Trilogy" about the turmoil of the 20th century, Follett had to imagine much more about life in 2500 BC.

Having covered so much of human existence in the scope of his research and writing, he's often asked about the best and worst eras.

His stock answer is that there has never been a better time than now.

But he confesses that doubts have started to creep in, given the rise of far-right nationalism in Europe and America and complacency about tyranny.

"I still shudder at the idea of living in the Middle Ages and sleeping on the floor in a cold house," he explained.

"This is the most comfortable time to live, but it is in more danger now than it has been for most of my life," he added.

- Brexit hater -

Follett was for years an influential figure in left-wing British politics, a key architect and fundraiser for former prime minister Tony Blair's New Labour in the late 1990s.

His wife Barbara was an MP for the party for 13 years before stepping down in 2010 amid an expenses scandal.

The return of Labour to power in 2024 was a brief cause for celebration, but Follett sees Prime Minister Keir Starmer's unpopular government as a "disappointment."

Starmer is "a good man, and he's a smart man, but he hasn't got an ounce of show business in him, and a prime minister needs a little bit of show business," Follett says.

He blames Brexit for much of Starmer's budget problems -- and also cites it as a reason for taking French nationality earlier this month, alongside his love of French champagne, food and literature.

"I detest Brexit and the kind of attitudes that go with Brexit," he said. "That's what I want to turn my back on, not actually being British, to embrace something that I've liked all my life."

Y.Hara--JT