| By Jon Surtees Mark Haddon's Whitbread award winning novel, 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' is a breathtaking book that is worth every one of the plaudits vested upon it. Bearing that fact in mind it was unsurprising to find the Oxford Union completely sold out for the final talk of this year's Literary Festival. Interviewed by Professor John Carey, Haddon came across as a very humble and likeable man, slightly taken aback at the critical storm his book has caused. Both the audience and Carey were gushing in their praise and Haddon appeared slightly unsure of how to react to it all, especially in such a public moment for an obviously private man. When he was allowed to talk about his work however, he was very engaging. Hearing him discuss how he created the voice for the lead character in the novel, the 15 year old Aspergers suffering, Christopher was fascinating. To hear how he created such a memorable and 'disabled' character out of 'regular' peoples foibles was very revealing. The discussion about Haddon's illustrating career was also very insightful. He has been illustrating and painting for at least as long as he has been writing and one of his favourite 'displacement hobbies' is drawing on the Paint Box program that comes free with every home computer. He was also sure to mention that a number of his paintings are currently on display at the framing shop in the Covered Market. The overriding impression of Mark Haddon gained from this talk was one of complete normality. It is very reassuring to see someone who has created such a great work of art as 'The Curious IncidentÂ…' come across as such. It fills other 'normal' writers with the hope that they may create something similar one day. For more information visit the Oxford Literary Festival Website. Back to reviews >>> | 
