Author and playwright Michael Frayn explores the wellsprings of creativity through farce, philosophy and the history of science. His eclectic output ranges from non-fiction books such as The Human Touch (2006) to plays including Noises Off (1982) and Copenhagen (1998) — which explores the 1941 meeting between quantum physicists Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg, with Frayn imagining their discussions on the morality of working on nuclear weapons. With his latest novel, Skios, coming out next month, he talks about determinism and the paradox of existence.