One Minute With: Shirley Williams, politician
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Where are you now and what can you see?
I'm in my office at Westminster. It's not in the House of Lords, but across College Green: I can see large numbers of the tops of trees.
What are you currently reading?
Always much less than I would like. I have three books at the moment: Anatole Kaletsky's 'Capitalism 4:0'; Edward Pearce's 'Pitt the Elder: Man of War'; and – very slowly, over the whole summer – Dostoyevsky's 'The Brothers Karamazov'. That is absolutely marvellous – he's such a subtle writer.
Choose a favourite author and say why you like him/her
The pressures of political life mean I read a lot of poetry. My favourite now is Seamus Heaney. He has such extraordinary insight into events – including political events – but is also, profoundly, a poet.
Describe the room where you usually write
Wherever I happen to be: it's determined by time rather than place. My preferred location would be at home in Hertfordshire, in the country. In the autumn, I can look out in the evening and see martins and swallows.
What distracts you from writing?
The whole of the rest of my life. Politics!
Which fictional character most resembles you?
I don't have an answer to that, but my parents did. They named me after Charlotte Brontë's 'Shirley' – although I find her rather self-righteous and tedious!
What are your readers like when you meet them?
A disproportionate number do tend to be Liberal Democrat voters. There's a great difference between literary and political events. At literary events, almost everyone is polite, agreeable and kind. Political events are controversial, and people are either totally supportive – or totally opposed.
Who is your hero/heroine from outside literature?
It has to be Nelson Mandela. When you think of the amount of bitterness he overcame, after 27 years in prison – it's phenomenal.
Shirley Williams's autobiography, 'Climbing the Bookshelves', is published in paperback by Virago this week
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments