Goodreads asked Michael Dobbs:

How do you get inspired to write?

Michael Dobbs As a journalist and foreign correspondent, I witnessed one of the great stories of the 20th century: the collapse of communism. That made me interested in the great turning points of history, like the beginning and end of the Cold War, or the Cuban missile crisis. At a certain point, I discovered that I preferred to write about past events, rather than current events. Even the best reporters are unable to penetrate the corridors of power in the way a historian can, once all the historical sources become available. But the motivation is essentially the same: to take the reader with me to exotic and forbidden places. I think of myself and the reader as neighboring flies on the wall, observing history unfold beneath our astonished gaze.

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