Ken Follett stands next to his statue in Vitoria-Gasteiz. Photograph: David Aguilar
A statue of the British thriller writer Ken Follett, stroking his chin in thought, has been unveiled in the capital of the Basque country, Vitoria-Gasteiz, just near the Santa Maria cathedral.
"But of course," you say, "it was the Santa Maria which inspired last year's World Without End, the long-awaited sequel to The Pillars of the Earth." Well, according to AFP The Pillars is the most-read book in Spain of the past 20 years, and the sequel has sold 750,000 copies since it was published late last month. Suddenly his family's query - "Is he going to be on horseback?" - doesn't sound quite so facetious.
Any Spanish-speakers among you may enjoy El Pais's interview with the great man - who, of course, they describe as "Welsh" - in which he suggests his "first 10 novels weren't much good", advises novelists to "spend a year planning before you start writing" and disses our ex-PM: "If I was Tony Blair I'd be embarrassed."
Those of a non-Spanish-speaking persuasion may prefer to reflect on which contemporary authors deserve a statue as well - and where ...
