Australian High Commissioner reads historical novels to understand people

"My fiction reading tends to flow from my interest in history - particularly 20th-century history.

- Shawn Hoo

Who: Mr Allaster Cox, 63, is the Australian High Commissioner to Singapore. The avid reader has had a long career in foreign affairs, working mainly on and in South-east Asia, with postings in Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. The Australian High Commission and the Singapore Film Society will be presenting the Australian Film Festival from June 26 to July 6. For more details, go to str.sg/ctfU

I also like books that are redolent with good character development. There's a lot of English writer Graham Greene you'll see on my shelves - my mother really liked his novels, and they are full of strong characters. My favourite Greene is probably The Heart Of The Matter, which is about a colonial officer in Africa and his trouble with his marriage. I also really like The Comedians, which is set in Haiti during the era of the Duvalier government.