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Novelist and poet Vikram Seth talks about his life and work in conversation with BBC journalist and former arts and media correspondent Nick Higham.

Seth is best known for his critically acclaimed and international bestselling novel, A Suitable Boy, a love story set in 1950s India and one of the longest in the English language at 591,552 words. He is currently working on a sequel, A Suitable Girl, whose publication was originally expected a few years ago. Seth has openly talked about suffering writer’s block. Last year saw the publication of a new collection of poems, Summer Requiem.

Seth has won many awards, notably the Commonwealth Writers Prize, the Commonwealth Poetry Prize and the WH Smith Literary Award. He was born in Calcutta in 1952 but was largely educated in the UK and the United States. He attended Tonbridge School before going on to study philosophy, politics and economics at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. He then did a graduate degree in economics at Stanford University. Here he talks to BBC journalist Higham, who was the BBC’s first ever media correspondent and, until recently, presenter of Meet the Author on the BBC news channel.

This event is presented by Corpus Christi College as part of its 500th anniversary celebrations.