Charles Cumming

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Charles Cumming

Charles Cumming was born in Scotland in 1971. He was educated at Ludgrove School (1979-1984), Eton College (1985-1989) and the University of Edinburgh (1990-1994), where he graduated with 1st Class Honours in English Literature.

In 1995, Charles was approached for recruitment by the United Kingdom's Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). A Spy By Nature, his debut novel was partly based on his experiences with MI6.

He is one of the trustees of The Pierce Loughran Memorial Scholarship fund which provides tuition fees for the Yeats Summer School in Sligo, Ireland. He is also the founder and President of the José Raúl Capablanca Memorial Chess Society.

Interviewed 19 February 2022

Ten words to sum up your working life to date ...

Repetitive. Liberating. Frustrating. Rewarding. Surprising. Ceaseless. Dismaying. Worrying. Constricting. Lucky.

Nine things you can see from where you're sitting ...

My garden. My wife. My youngest son on a baby monitor, sleeping. A pile of books I need to read. A poster advertising the 2018 World Chess Championships. A bag of peanuts. A Covid vaccination card. A suit I can no longer fit into. A DVD of Simon Schama’s History of Britain.

Eight minutes to prepare a meal. What's it going to be ?

Sliced courgettes fried in garlic and olive oil tossed with penne and fresh basil.

Seven people you'd like to go for a drink with ...

Graham Greene. Winston Churchill. Grace Kelly. Steven Spielberg. William Shakespeare. Sir Alex Ferguson. Carole Augustine.

Six things you can't live without ...

Coffee. Vodka. Red wine. Chess. Football. Cricket.

Five favourite words ...

Yes. Zizou. Bouillabaisse. Martini. Inshallah.

Four places you'd run away to ...

Chile. Venice. The Greek islands. Havana.

Three books you've bought recently ...

A Lonely Man by Chris Power. Workin’ by Robert A. Caro. In Pursuit of Disobedient Women by Dionne Searcey.

Two things that make you rant ...

Ideological fanatics. Selfishness.

One thing you'd tell your teenage self ...

Sow your wild oats.