Amazing Archer

I woke up to the sad news on Tuesday morning that British novelist Jeffrey Archer had passed away. The news was particularly difficult for me because I have always admired his writing and followed his remarkable career over the years. I am passionate about reading, and over the years I have read the works of Paulo Coelho, D.H. Lawrence, Virginia Woolf, Ernest Hemingway, Kazuo Ishiguro, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Vikram Seth, Aravind Adiga and many more.

But Archer was, without doubt, my all-time favourite writer. I consider myself fortunate to have met him years ago in Dubai at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. I found him to be a great storyteller. The moment he started speaking, the entire hall seemed to fall silent. His presence was so captivating that nobody wanted to miss even a second of what he had to say. Meeting him remains one of the most memorable experiences of my life as a reader.

Ayesha Azhar,

By email