My poetry breakthrough at school. Ulysses seems to have fresh resonance every time I read it a poem to grow older with (ie. from myth-obsessed schoolboy to& well, to person growing older).

Source of two profound early-teen realisations: 1) that I wasnt, in fact, the only deeply misunderstood non-grown-up in the world, and 2) that Dickens was (therefore) actually pretty cool.

My first thrilling intimation that rock music could be something other than Bryan Adams. Also my first soundtrack-to-a-broken-heart (look, I was young, okay, and naïve and, well, you know stupid).

First proof for me that epic fantasy could be for grown-ups, ie. could reflect real world social and political issues, could still have magic and swords, and didnt have to include the word thou.

First proof, for me, that textbooks could actually be well-written, interesting, even exciting, and useful not merely as doorstops. RIP, Professor Parkin. You were an excellent teacher.

An unutterably beautiful film. The perfect bridge between a thoughtful atheism (à moi) and a useful Christianity. Life-changing because I didnt imagine such a bridge could exist until I saw this.

The first play I was ever in (of two, not counting forced participation junior school nativity debacles). I played the Duke of Albany. A great tragedy, in so many, many ways&

Becoming a father huge, obviously. Having a brutally honest book that explained what my wife was going through and made us both laugh about it hard enough to pee essential.