Master creative non-fiction author Simon Winchester wanted to stretch himself so he thought he’d write about the more than 2 million year history of the Atlantic Ocean. He borrowed a structure from Shakespeare and found himself writing one of the biggest books of this Christmas.
And yet he modestly claims that what leads him to non-fiction is that he would “be utterly inept at writing fiction. I just don’t think I’ve got that kind of breadth and depth of imagination.” He also reflects on his first love: journalism, and the changes that are occurring in the media.