Jeffrey Archer on books, cricket and India

BIG COMEBACK: Jeffrey Archer has stormed back into bestseller list with A Prisoner of Birth.

        

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Keywords: Interview, Books

Jeffrey Archer stormed back onto bestseller lists in India and worldwide, with his latest book, A Prisoner of Birth.

The book tells the story of Danny Cartwright, a young mechanic from Eastend who's convicted of a crime he did not commit; convicted because the system is often stacked against those who are marginalised.

And the celebrated author, who’s currently in India, spoke to CNN-IBN and revealed his love for writing, reading, cricket and, most importantly, what inspires his writings.

Amrita Tripathi: Your latest book A Prisoner of Birth hit the bestseller list within a couple of days of release in the UK.

Jeffrey Archer: That was a surprise because the lists come out on a Monday to a Saturday and then they tell you on a Sunday. We'd actually come out only on a Thursday, so we had two days’ sales to go on but A Prisoner of Birth went straight to number one. That’s something I've never done before. Even Kane and Abel didn't go to number one in two days.

Amrita Tripathi: You've written somewhere that it's your first number one in 10 years.

Jeffrey Archer: It's the first one in every country. First time, right round the world, it has gone to number one very quickly. Back to the old days!

Amrita Tripathi: Yet you weren't really sure. You say you couldn't predict?

Jeffrey Archer: I thought in my own heart, is this the best thing I've ever done? Is it better than Kane and Abel, but you lose your confidence with just a few weeks to go before the release. You think will anybody buy this book?

Amrita Tripathi: Danny Cartright, the protagonist of A Prisoner of Birth, is loosely based on someone you met in prison. Tell us a little bit about that.