Joseph O'Connor on his love of Bob Dylan, Basil Fawlty and Eavan Boland 

Culture That Made Me: The Dublin writer selects seven of his touchstones through the decades 

Joseph O'Connor. Picture: Urszula Sołtys

Nothing so funny as human suffering

The 1970s was a great era for sitcoms. To see Basil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers beating up his car with a tree for the first time – I can remember just laughing till I cried. The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin was probably my favourite.