George Biro

When and how did you start writing?

As a teenager at school, I enjoyed writing compositions and sometimes threw in some humour. Once the English teacher read out one of these. I had dreams of becoming a journalist, but parental advice steered me into medicine.

At university, I found it a thrill when I got my name in one of the student magazines. Once in vacation, I stood in for the editor of a real magazine that paid real money; that gave me a buzz too.

Until I hit 50 or so, I worked in various...