Esther Freud: ‘My parents died within four days of each other. I was engulfed’

The novelist on grief, being a terrible liar, and wanting to join the circus Born in London, Esther Freud, 63, is the daughter of Bernardine Coverley and Lucian Freud. She trained as an actor and, in 1992, released her debut novel, Hideous Kinky, which was made into a film starring Kate Winslet in 1998. Freud’s work has been translated into 13 languages, and her 10th adult novel, My Sister and Other Lovers, is out in paperback. She has three children with the actor David Morrissey, and lives ...

By Rosanna Greenstreet