Bestselling author of Brick Lane, Monica Ali, has returned to the University of Surrey as its distinguished writer in residence for the second year. Here she talks to Rebecca Younger about why she loves the job, walking the North Downs Way and learning to ignore what’s in vogue
You’re now in your second year as distinguished writer in residence at the University of Surrey. Was it a role you ever expected you would take on?
“It’s not something that I planned or expected! Sometimes in life opportunities just present themselves, and this was one of those occasions.”
How did the role come about?
“I first came into contact with the University of Surrey through my work with English PEN, the writers’ organisation. PEN works to promote and defend freedom of expression, and is part of a global literary network. In 2012, I was trustee, and was invited by the student branch at the university to come and give a talk. Three years later, the head of the School of English and Languages got in touch to ask if I’d be interested in this newly-created role. I’d actually just turned down an invitation for a similar role at the National University of Singapore, rather reluctantly as I’d have loved to have done it in many ways but I didn’t feel it was the right time to be apart from my family. So although I hadn’t been looking for something else, it felt like a moment of serendipity Surrey is thriving as an academic institution, establishing itself in recent years as a top 10 university in the league table rankings. On top of that, the creative writing department is a very dynamic. I think the Surrey New Writers’ Festival, which they organise each May, is evidence of that.”
How has the experience been so far?
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