Copyright Erin Morgenstern 2011. All rights reserved.

. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

THE

NIGHT CIRCUS
by

Erin Morgenstern

T h e Prou s t Qu e s t i o n na i r e
The Proust Questionnaire has its origins in a parlour game, popularised (though not devised) by Marcel Proust, the French essayist and novelist, who believed that, in answering these questions, an individual reveals his or her true nature. Here is the basic Proust Questionnaire.

1. What is your idea of perfect happiness? A cup of tea that never grows cold. 2. What is your greatest fear? Not accomplishing everything Im capable of. 3. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Oversensitivity. 4. What is the trait you most deplore in others? Pessimism. 5. Which living person do you most admire? The collective surviving members of Monty Python. 6. What is your greatest extravagance? I have two: artisan perfume oils and Fluevogs. (Im not even a shoe person, really.) 7. What is your current state of mind? Introspective. 8. What do you consider the most overrated virtue? Chastity. 9. On what occasion do you lie? Im a writer. Its what I do. Truly, I am surprised that my pants are not constantly aflame. 10. What do you most dislike about your appearance? The fact that it is so difficult to get the actuality to match the way I look inside my head. Also, I have unruly hair. 11. Which living person do you most despise? I dont despise anyone, it requires too much effort. 12. What is the quality you most like in a man? Confidence. 13. What is the quality you most like in a woman? Confidence. 14. Which words or phrases do you most overuse? Slightly, Seriously and Let me put it this way . . . 15. What or who is the greatest love of your life? Creating things. 16. When and where were you happiest? Im pretty darned happy right now, actually. Im happy anywhere with twinkly lights on strings. 17. Which talent would you most like to have? Musical. Dont have the brain for it this time around, alas. Its too much like math. 18. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I think Id want perfect vision, but having never had it, I cant be sure. It might be overrated, for all I know. 19. What do you consider your greatest achievement? Finishing what I start.

Copyright Erin Morgenstern 2011. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

THE

NIGHT CIRCUS
by

Erin Morgenstern

20. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be? I thought the or a thing sounded kind of silly, until I started thinking about possibly being a tree, but being a tree seems so unpredictable. You could end up as one of those beautiful old trees that sees so much time pass around it, or you could be cut down and turned into furniture or paper or kindling, or you might be stolen away as an acorn before you even get to be a proper tree. I think Id rather stay a person. Preferably one who is slightly more zen than I am currently. 21. Where would you most like to live? Imagine a space like a cross between a bordello and a library enclosed in a small, art deco castle. Situate it on an isolated stretch of rocky coastline. There. 22. What is your most treasured possession? My imagination. 23. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Self-loathing. 24. What is your favorite occupation? Dreaming, of either the day or nocturnal variety. 25. What is your most marked characteristic? Moodiness. 26. What do you most value in your friends? Reliability, honesty and a sense of humour. 27. Who are your favorite writers? Im so glad this question is plural. Jhumpa Lahiri, Margaret Atwood, Donna Tartt, Connie Willis, Edward Gorey, Douglas Adams, T.S. Eliot and Shakespeare for starters. 28. Who is your hero of fiction? Ford Prefect. Hoopy frood who knows where his towel is. 29. Which historical figure do you most identify with? Anne Bonney. 30. Who are your heroes in real life? Visionaries. Free thinkers. 31. What are your favorite names? Ones I can pronounce properly. 32. What is it that you most dislike? Things that dont taste as good as they look. 33. What is your greatest regret? Im a regret nothing kind of girl. Non, je ne regrette rien. 34. How would you like to die? Happy. 35. What is your motto? I dont really have one, but I just looked up my familys traditional motto and found Dulce Periculum, Danger is Sweet. Which is kind of awesome.

The Night Circus | 9781846555244 | Harvill Secker | Trade Paperback | $32.95 | October 2011 The Night Circus eBook | 97818446468265 | Harvill Secker | eBook | $32.95 | October 2011

www.randomhouse.com.au
Copyright Erin Morgenstern 2011. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.