haroon's proust questionnaire
What is your idea of perfect happiness? Resting. Properly resting.
What is your greatest fear? That this is the way the world must be.
Which historical figure do you most identify with? History's not made by great men (or women).
Which living person do you most admire? That's a hard call. Possibly Jose Ramos-Horta.
What's the best book you've read in the last year? Something Fierce: Memoirs of a Revolutionary Daughter. Fantastic book.
What fictional character do you most admire? V I Warshawski.
What is your favourite work of fiction? 2001: A Space Odyssey. I watched it recently, and it was every bit as engrossing, thrilling and baffling as it was more than 40 years ago.
How would you describe yourself? Organized.
What trait do you most deplore in yourself? Impatience. And my terrible telephone manner.
What is the trait you most deplore in others? Intolerance.
What is your greatest extravagance? Being able to meet people that I truly admire.
On what occasion do you lie? Only when it is absolutely necessary.
What do you most dislike about your appearance? My weight.
When and where were you happiest? I need to know someone very well before I will answer that.
If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be? My weight: 68 kilos sounds like an attainable dream.
If you could change one thing about your family what would it be? Our tendency to try and speak above each other.
What do you consider your greatest achievement? My role – which almost no one knows about – in shaping the final text of the Cotonou Agreement, which made it less harsh on peasant sugarcane farmers than it otherwise would have been.
What is your most treasured possession? My Rickenbacker 4001 bass.
What is your favourite food? Grilled Sicilian cheese in Iano, Tuscany, because it is about far more than food, it is about life, family and friends.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? To not know music.
Who are your heroes in real life? The countless millions of everyday people around the world that struggle for a better life for their families and their communities.
What is it that you most dislike? That social injustice is excused by the powerful.
Is the glass half empty or half full? My students show me continually that it's more than half full.
How would you like to die? In a just world.
What is your motto? It's attributed to Gramsci: pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will.