Walser was a Swiss writer working at the end of the 19th century. He's a very interesting writer – a little bit related to Kafka. He's very neurotic ... well, maybe not neurotic, but he's certainly a very neurasthenic writer – there's certainly a l
ot of suppressed hysteria in his work. That might make this book sound like hard work but it's not at all – it's very easy to read and it's very short. It's about a man who becomes an assistant to an inventor. A friend of mine, Barbara Browning (a professor at NYU), and I are in a little book club. Well, we were for a while – I haven't been doing it recently because I've been filming – but this was one of the books we read. It was her suggestion. She had read other books by Walser and she thought he was really good. We're the only people in the book group and we both liked it, so it got a 100 per cent approval rating.
TV SHOW BEWITCHEDI loved Bewitched so much and I still watch repeats of it now, as do my kids. I just think it's great. There was something about Elizabeth Montgomery's magical powers and the humour of it and the way she looks... I still think that her look is just the best. I actually think it influenced me hugely – I've enjoyed other shows since, but I have to say that it's my ultimate favourite TV show.
FILM A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE, DIRECTED BY JOHN CASSAVETESThis film is skilful but also so truthful, and so revealing of the human condition. Plus it has some of the best acting I've ever seen. It's basically a film about a woman, played by Gena Rowlands, who has some sort of mental illness. She seems to be some sort of manic depressive – Peter Faulk is her husband and she's got three children – and it follows a period in her life. It's funny and it's sad and it's real. It's a great chronicling of the lives of several human beings, but at the same time it's fun to watch; it's not punishment in any way.
• The paperback edition of Rebecca Miller's new book, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, is published by Canongate, priced £7.99.
The full article contains 392 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
