Reading fiction should be compulsory for political leaders, says Nicola Sturgeon It should be compulsory for all political leaders to read fiction to allow them to understand the world better, Nicola […]

It should be compulsory for all political leaders to read fiction to allow them to understand the world better, Nicola Sturgeon has said.

The Scottish First Minister said reading novels was important as it deepened people’s ability to empathise with people from other cultures rather than just their own.

“If there was one thing I could make compulsory for leaders across the world, it would be to read fiction” The i politics newsletter cut through the noise Email address is invalid Email address is invalid Thank you for subscribing! Sorry, there was a problem with your subscription. Nicola Sturgeon

Speaking at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, Ms Sturgeon said she read voraciously because it allowed her to escape from the daily worries of her job, but that it also served another purpose.

The SNP leader was taking part in an event with the author Ali Smith, who is midway through a series of four novels which take their titles from the seasons and address contemporary issues.

Asked by Ms Smith “what happens” when she reads a book and in what ways she finds fiction helpful in her life, Ms Sturgeon replied: “A whole variety of different things.

“Sometimes the ability to escape and switch off from whatever it is that’s worrying me at the time.”

Deeper understanding

She added: “I think reading for anybody deepens your sense of understanding and empathy with people and experiences and cultures and countries that you have no direct experience of.

“If there was one thing I could make compulsory for leaders across the world, it would be to read fiction. It does so much.

“For me fiction, much more than non-fiction does, allows situations that I have no direct experience of to be really conjured up and for me to develop an understanding in a way that is different to reading non-fiction.”

During their conversation, Ms Sturgeon also acknowledged that her job sometimes forces her to take decisions that will divide people.

“As a politician I am acutely aware – and it’s something I think about a lot – that politicians by definition, we’re opinionated,” she said.

“We put forward strong views and policies, we’re sometimes the cause or a cause of the division.”