Meet the authors: interviews with the Booker Prize 2022 longlisted writers

Join us in conversation with the authors of this year’s most remarkable works of fiction, as they reveal the inspiration behind their longlisted work, their writing processes and what the nomination means to them

Thirteen authors, 13 remarkable works of fiction. This year’s longlist, or ‘Booker Dozen’, features authors from all walks of life. It includes the youngest and oldest writers ever to be nominated; three books are by debut authors, while four have made the list in previous years.

To celebrate their place on the 2022 longlist, we spoke to each of them. They told us the how they created their nominated work and which books from the Booker Library sit most proudly on their shelves.

Claire Keegan: 'My central character isn’t someone who says much. A longer novel would not have suited his personality'

The author of Small Things Like These explains why she’s more interested in tension than drama… and why not writing is more difficult than writing

NoViolet Bulawayo: 'Glory may be inspired by a specific place, but tyranny isn’t just a Zimbabwean problem'

NoViolet Bulawayo tells us about the influence of her grandmother’s storytelling, comparisons with George Orwell… and her love of Post-it notes

Maddie Mortimer: 'When I read the final 20 pages to my dad and sister, we all cried'

The author of Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies talks about the playfulness of poetry, reading her mother’s diaries and finding inspiration in movies

Hernan Diaz: 'I take the ethical implications of storytelling very seriously. I'm careful never to deceive anyone'

The author of Trust talks about tackling the taboo of money, why he writes with a fountain pen and his love of Borges

Audrey Magee: 'I loved being a journalist, but I was searching for a different kind of truth'

Audrey Magee talks about seeing the world through an artist’s eyes, the endgame of colonisation and why The Colony is more bildungsroman than fable

Shehan Karunatilaka: 'Sri Lankans specialise in gallows humour. It's our coping mechanism'

The author of The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida talks about the legacy of the Sri Lankan civil war, his publisher’s tough love… and exploring the afterlife

Elizabeth Strout: 'I could feel myself getting better with each story'

The author of Oh William! discusses her intimate characterisation, how age has impacted her work and what’s next for Lucy Barton

Graeme Macrae Burnet: 'The most important research I did for Case Study was ploughing through women's magazines from the 60s'

Nominated for a second time, Graeme Macrae Burnet talks about surrounding his characters with real people, resisting classification… and his favourite Booker books

Leila Mottley: 'There’s never a wrong age to tell the story that is aching inside of you'

Leila Mottley talks about the true story that inspired Nightcrawling, helping young people to start reading again and trying to be a normal teenager

Karen Joy Fowler: 'Imagining a story set in the past is not entirely different from imagining a story set in the future'

The author of Booth talks about science fiction, the impact of Donald Trump and the challenges of writing with a dog on her lap

Alan Garner: 'Age, in itself, is irrelevant. However, as with all skills, an apprenticeship has to be served'

Alan Garner describes the eight-year process behind his latest book, how he went from reading comics to becoming a classicist… and the real Treacle Walker

Percival Everett: 'How long did it take to write The Trees? Sixty-three years'

Percival Everett explains what ranching taught him about writing, why oppressive regimes want an under-educated populace and how he tries to get people laughing