Amos Oz, 69, is Israel’s best-known novelist and a strong political voice who publicly expressed disapproval over the conduct of both Hamas and Israel during the Gaza conflict. Born in Jerusalem, Oz moved to a kibbutz as a teenager, and lived there for more than 30 years. He has written 27 books. Among these, his successful memoir A Tale of Love and Darkness (2003) explored his childhood and his mother’s suicide. Oz is married with three children and lives in Arad, Israel.

Who is your perfect reader?
A reader who is willing to participate. If I write the word “sunset”, then they will bring their own sunset to mind.

What book changed your life?
Initially the Bible, as it was my first encounter with stories. Later it was a story collection by [American writer] Sherwood Anderson called Winesburg, Ohio which opened my eyes to subject matter that could be found even in the tiniest place.

When did you know you were going to be a writer?
As soon as I was taught the alphabet. When I was five or six years old I started putting together little stories and poems.

Do you have a writing routine?
I rise every morning at 5am, drink a cup of coffee and go for a brisk walk in the desert. Then I write from 6am until lunchtime. In the afternoon I demolish what I have written in the morning.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve done when researching a book?
I travelled into fanatical niches of Israeli society for my book In the Land of Israel. I had conversations with many extremists.

Who are your literary influences?
The great 19th-century Russians, especially Chekhov, Sherwood Anderson, William Faulkner and [Israeli author] Shai Agnon.

What music helps you write?
Russian or Greek Orthodox liturgical music or modern jazz.

What are you scared of?
War.

What is the best piece of advice a parent gave you?
My mother told me to be a good listener and those words have accompanied me throughout my life.

What are you most proud of writing?
The Same Sea. It’s my greatest achievement. In it I erased the line between prose and poetry and the line between comedy and tragedy.

If you could own any painting, what would it be?
Picasso’s “The Tragedy”. It’s on the cover of many editions of my book A Tale of Love and Darkness, and it’s very close to my heart.

Where is your favourite place in the world?
The desert. It’s a great humbler. It knocks everything into the right proportions.

What does it mean to be a writer?
To be a lover of language and of words. To get up in the morning, drink a cup of coffee and start asking myself: “What if I were him, what if I were her ... ”

Amos Oz’s latest book is ‘Rhyming Life and Death’ (Chatto & Windus)