Joseph O’Neill’s third novel Netherland made the 2008 Man Booker longlist and was named as one of The New York Times’ 10 best books of last year. Born in Ireland in 1964, O’Neill was brought up in the Netherlands and studied law at Cambridge. He lives in New York.

When did you know you were going to be a writer?

I’ve never known it. My sense of myself as a professional writer has been somewhat frail, particularly over these past few years.

What books are currently on your bedside table?

I don’t have a bedside table. In my office, I’m going through a [Saul] Bellow binge.

What is the last thing you read that made you laugh out loud?

U and I by Nicholson Baker; I’ve just read it for the umpteenth time.

Who is your perfect reader?

I’ll take any reader.

What stimulates the writer in you?

My Chambers 20th Century Dictionary.

Where do you write best?

In the solitude of a cabin in Ontario .

What music helps you work?

Recently I’ve become addicted to songs by Aimee Mann.

What is the hardest thing to write about?

It’s all very hard, sadly.

What are you most proud of writing?

In my novels, certain sentences. I’m very proud of my non-fiction book, Blood-Dark Track.

What do you do to celebrate finishing a book?

Disown what I’ve just written.

What would you do if you gave up writing?

Worry.

What would you go back and change?

The Florida recount.

What was the first novel you read?

Graphic novels by Hergé.

What book do you wish you’d written?

My next one.

‘Netherland’ by Joseph O’Neill is published by HarperCollins