Bryson plans to set up home in Norfolk

Bryson reportedly told an audience of more than 1,000 at the Hay Literary Festival he was considering a project looking at the lifestyle and culture of the Middle East.

He later added that he might "chicken out" and write instead about Canada, which he described as a safer option.

Bryson, who has written best-selling humorous travelogues about the UK, US and Australia, also revealed he and his family planned to leave their US home and return to England, by buying a house in Norfolk.

It is much, much easier for me to make fun of people in wealthy countries like Canada Bill Bryson

Discussing his working projects, Bryson said he had found his Middle Eastern travel experiences in Syria and Jordan "very interesting" and wanted to return.

However, he said any Middle East project would depend on his safety while travelling, The Observer reported.

Referring to the alternative option of Canada, he said: "It is much, much easier for me to make fun of people in wealthy countries like Canada.

"I have a problem writing my kind of book about Third World countries."

His latest book, A Short History of Nearly Everything, was based on landmarks in scientific thinking.

Bryson, based in Hanover, New Hampshire, said his plans to leave the US had nothing to do with politics.

"It is about the education of my children, but George Bush certainly doesn't make it hard to leave," he said.