Both general readers and specialist critics often complain about my own use of English – not only in my books, but also in my newspaper articles and even in radio talks such as these. “I have to look them up in a dictionary”, they complain – as if this were some kind of torture.

Follow the link for the full transcript of Will Self on A Point Of View: In Defense Of Obscure Words. You can also listen to the radio broadcast through the BBC iPlayer.