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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Ben Okri

Ben Okri: ‘Is A Tale of Two Cities the greatest English novel? Meet me in a pub to discuss’

Ben Okri.
Ben Okri. Photograph: Martin Godwin/The Guardian

My earliest reading memory
In London, reading my dad’s copy of the Times at four. It embarrassed my mum, who hurried me out of the room when visitors came.

My favourite book growing up
In Lagos, in my teens, I discovered Ibsen’s plays and Chekhov’s stories. I transplanted the characters, imagining them as Nigerian. That’s the magic of reading.

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