Raised by addicts, abused, neglected, broke: how Katriona O’Sullivan escaped her fate

Pregnant at 15, and soon to be homeless, O’Sullivan never expected to succeed – but became a leading academic. The author of Poor talks about everything that conspired to keep her down – and her ‘miraculous and rare’ ascent

‘I’d tell myself: you’re a loser, a failure, ugly …’ Matilda’s Mara Wilson on the price of fame

A star at nine, the actor was soon struggling with the death of her mother as well as nosy journalists and demanding fans. Angry, confused and thoroughly lost, how did she ever find her way back?

Ottessa Moshfegh: ‘I’m not brainstorming ways to freak people out’

The acclaimed author on her post-Covid novel Lapvona, the influence of Ingmar Bergman and the Brothers Grimm, and the draw of England in the 90s for her next book

‘I was a bad child actor. Extremely bad’: Emma Cline on the follow up to her hit novel The Girls

The novelist talks about the power of being an outsider, growing up in a family of seven siblings – and exploring the Hamptons in her first novel since her Manson-inspired bestseller

Ukrainian historian Serhii Plokhy: ‘This may not be the last chapter of the Russian empire, but it’s an important one’

The Harvard academic on writing while grieving – and where his country goes from here

‘I remember the exact words’: Markus Zusak on The Messenger – and the review he’ll never forget

In the lead-up to an ABC adaptation of his novel, Zusak talks about life after The Book Thief and why he thinks the show is better than his book

Agustina Bazterrica: ‘Capitalism and cannibalism are almost the same’

The Argentinian writer on her new short-story collection and how her dystopian novel about a human meat industry became a TikTok sensation

Guy Gunaratne: ‘Writing the Abu Ghraib bit of the book took its toll’

Booker-longlisted in 2018 for their debut novel, In Our Mad and Furious City, the Londoner talks about the follow-up, the slippery life story of a terror suspect, and the fellowship of Ali Smith during a time of stress

‘These spaces are depicted with trauma porn’: Tyriek White on his acclaimed public housing novel

We Are a Haunting, the Mississippi-by-way-of-New-York writer’s debut novel, tells of rent, eviction and ghosts in the projects

‘Justice is on our side, and Putin is old’: Navalny’s press secretary Kira Yarmysh

The novelist and press secretary to the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny talks about imprisonment, survival and writing under the regime

Anthony Seldon on Boris Johnson: ‘At his heart, he is extraordinarily empty’

The distinguished historian and headteacher discusses his latest book about a contemporary prime minister, a devastating – and dispiriting – account of Johnson’s chaotic reign

Novelist Caleb Azumah Nelson: ‘there is a wholeness in living life not always afforded to black people’

The writer talks about being doubted as a teenager, the courage of his migrating ancestors, and how he uses his photography to spark stories

Matt Rowland Hill: ‘My mother says she will sue me if I ever write another book like it’

The author of Original Sins on his book’s impact on his evangelical parents, reading the Patrick Melrose series while waiting for drug dealers, and how looking middle class saved him from arrest

Charli Howard: ‘Wearing lingerie empowers me to be confident’

The model and author, 32, on boarding school syndrome, salt obsession, believing in ghosts and getting some good advice

Suede’s Mat Osman: ‘The biggest difference between Richard and me is that he has no interest in being cool’

The bassist and author talks about artistic ambition, sibling dynamics - and how being on tour inspired his riotous new novel, The Ghost Theatre