Days before he died on Monday, just before the release of his novel “Adam and Eve,” Jeffrey Archer answered questions by email for The New York Times’s By the Book column. “It tickled him to do it,” his publicist said. His edited answers follow. SCOTT HELLER
What’s the last great book you read?
“To Kill a Mockingbird,” for the third time. It still can take you by surprise, not least because how much the world has moved on since then, and not just for Black people, but women too. Scout is every bit as important as Atticus Finch.
Are there any classic novels that you only recently read for the first time?
Harper Lee’s second book, “Go Set a Watchman,” was disappointing, and the publishers can have only had one interest — money — otherwise they would never have let the Pulitzer Prize winner publish this one.
What books are you embarrassed to have not read yet?
“War and Peace.” I only managed 30 or so pages. The Russian names took over, and I gave up.
What book might people be surprised to find on your shelves?
Several Wisden annuals — the cricket bible which has yet to penetrate the American psyche. My American friends can never understand how you can play a game of cricket for five days and not get a result! They have a point.
What books are on your night stand?
“Dissection of a Murder.” A debut novel by Jo Murray. A well written crime story with an original ending. And “London Falling.” It reads like a novel but turns out to be true.
Can a great book be badly written? What other criteria can overcome bad prose?
Yes, there are some appalling writers, who still sell well, because they are damned good storytellers. One in particular gets to No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list again and again.
“A storyteller shouldn’t know what’s on the next page,” you said in an interview. What did you mean?
If you don’t know what’s on the next page, there’s no way the reader will know. It’s one hell of a risk for any writer, but if you can pull it off, you’ll have a best seller.
What’s the best book you’ve ever received as a gift?
“Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power,” by Jon Meacham. The greatest of American Presidents, in my opinion, who served as the third holder of that office. When intellect and honesty were taken for granted. Lincoln is a close second, with FDR getting the bronze medal.
What’s the secret to writing a multigenerational novel?
The characters must be memorable, the reader must care about them, or they will abandon the book, and if you don’t care about them you certainly won’t buy the next in the series.
What if you decide you have another novel in you after “Adam and Eve” is published?
Not a hope. “Adam and Eve” is in my opinion the best book I have written, and at 86 I’m painfully aware I cannot hope to equal it.
Who is your favorite fictional hero or heroine?
Becky Sharp in “Vanity Fair.” A wicked woman who would have been able to wind me around her little finger, rob me, and cast me off without a second thought. And I wouldn’t have complained.
Your favorite antihero or villain?
Moriarty of Sherlock Holmes fame. He killed Sherlock Holmes, but the public so loved their hero, [Arthur Conan Doyle] had to bring him back. (I thought only Jesus managed that.) Also, Sydney Carton in “A Tale of Two Cities,” my favorite Dickens.
Your favorite book no one else has heard of?
“Beware of Pity,” by Stefan Zweig. An Austrian Jew who left his homeland and escaped to America at the beginning of the Second World War. Sadly, he and his fiancé committed suicide when they thought Hitler would win the war, so we have a few works of fiction, nonfiction and short stories that reveal his genius.
What’s the most interesting thing you learned from a book recently?
I have lived in London for over 60 years, and when I read “London Falling,” I came across another world I didn’t even know existed. How naïve can one be?
What’s the most terrifying book you’ve ever read?
“A Clockwork Orange.” I’m so pathetic I just couldn’t get past Chapter 5.
Have you ever got into trouble for reading a book?
Yes, my Housemaster caught me reading “The Woman of Rome” by Alberto Moravia after lights out. I was caned and the book was confiscated.
You’re organizing a literary dinner party. Which three writers, dead or alive, do you invite?
Daphne du Maurier, Conan Doyle, and Stefan Zweig, but I’d rather have supper with Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and Mark Twain.
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