Julia Donaldson: Who alive today do you admire most, and what draws you to them?

The question

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

The Guardian's Q&A repeatedly uses this prompt, sometimes dropping 'living' while retaining the same comparative judgment.

You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.

Julia Donaldson

British writer and playwright

Recorded said elsewhere, not written here

Harper Lee, for writing To Kill A Mockingbird.

The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 12 August 2011 source ↗

Mentioned in this answer

The Portuguese director Manoel de Oliveira, who is 100 years old and still working.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, February 2009 source ↗

Sebastian Coe British athlete and politician

Among others, Mikhail Gorbachev for leadership that enabled the peaceful transition from communism in eastern Europe.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 27 July 2012 source ↗

Imelda Staunton English actress and singer

Danny Boyle, for obvious reasons.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 29 June 2013 source ↗

James Dyson British inventor and businessman

David Hockney, because he’s so experimental and creative. He continually reinvents himself in a really delightful way.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 4 December 2021 source ↗

As a child, discovering there was a wonderful thing called countryside.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 12 August 2011 source ↗

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