Q: Your love of Greece is well documented in your novels and also in your promotion of Greek culture, what drew you to this part of the world originally? Q: As of 2020 you’re an honorary Greek citizen, where would you recommend visiting whilst in Greece? Q: In 2021 you branched out into children’s fiction with Maria’s Island (a re-telling of your bestselling book The Island ) how different was the experience of writing for children? Q: Greece has a long history, some of which you have explored through your novels already, are there any other areas of its history you are excited to explore in future work? Q: What are the three books that make you feel like you’re in Greece? Captain Corelli's Mandolin Christ Recrucified The House on Paradise Street Why do book collections matter? Book a consultation with a ~personal curator Contact Quick Links Follow us @ultimatelibrary Join our community
Victoria Hislop on her Love Affair with Greece
11 Sep 2024
To celebrate the paperback release of
The Figurine
, we’re revisiting our 2022 conversation with the brilliant bestselling author Victoria Hislop. Praised for her vivid portrayals of Greece’s distinctive landscapes— from rugged mountains to pristine beaches and Venetian harbours—as well as her masterful storytelling around pivotal moments in Greek history, Hislop has a unique way of bringing Greece to life. Her love affair with the country began with a visit to Spinalonga, an abandoned leprosy colony that inspired her bestseller
The Island
. Translated into 40 languages and with over 6 million copies sold,
The Island
paved the way for nine more novels set against the breathtaking backdrop, including
The Thread, Those Who Are Loved
, and
One August Night
. In our discussion, Hislop pinpoints the moment she fell in love with Greece, her favourite spots to explore, and her top book recommendations for a greater understanding of the country.
Simply the beauty of it all. The blue seas and skies just completely blew me away when I was 17 years old arriving in Greece for the first time. I had not travelled much up until that point and the contrast of the colours and the climate with Britain were enormous! I fell in love with Greece. That’s how it felt. And as time has gone on, I have grown to love many other aspects: the people, the landscapes, the food, the culture. And I am very at home here. It’s quite a visceral feeling.
Crete is the place closest to my heart. Although it is an island, it feels like a small country with a vast variety of landscapes, culture, history, and cuisine. So, if a friend has two weeks for a holiday in Greece, I would suggest going there. Even from east to west, it takes at least six hours to drive, so a visitor could easily spend many weeks exploring without ever seeing the same view twice.~~But I also encourage people to visit the mainland. Both Athens and Thessaloniki have vibrant nightlife, fantastic shops, restaurants, and world-class museums. Where do I stop? My best advice would be to take a month off and do a road trip from north to south, discovering the mountains in the north of Greece and the beaches of the Peloponnese. Greece is blessed with every type of landscape.
I imagined it would be more challenging that it turned out to be. Before writing I re-read some of my favourite children’s books (mostly Michael Morpurgo and one by Anne Holm) and realised that you should never patronise children or write “down” to them. Children can take pain and suffering – or at least manage to read about these things and it’s important not to let them grow up with the illusion that life is always a fairy tale. I took a lesson from those writers. And then put myself into the mindset of my characters, who are mostly children and took them on a journey which is full of obstacles – there is a happy end of course!~
There are still many historical periods I haven't explored, and one that particularly fascinates me is Greece's military junta era from 1967 to 1974. It's a time that sparks a wide range of reactions among Greeks—from a sense of nostalgia to an undercurrent of fear. I'm intrigued by these diverse responses and eager to discover what lies behind them.
Captain Corelli's Mandolin remains an all-time favorite of mine—I absolutely love Louis de Bernières’ works that capture the spirit of this region. His Birds Without Wings is another “must-read”. Sofka Zinovieff's The House on Paradise Street is another gem, offering a vivid and compelling portrait of Athens. While most people associate Nikos Kazantzakis with Zorba the Greek, largely due to the famous film adaptation, I find Christ Recrucified to be an even more powerful and evocative masterpiece.
BY Louis de Bernières
In 1941, Captain Antonio Corelli, a young Italian officer, arrives on the Greek island of Cephallonia with the occupying forces. When Pelagia, the daughter of the local doctor, receives no word from her fiancé, she finds herself drawn to Antonio. But can their love endure the brutal realities of war?
by Nikos Kazantzakis
In a small Greek village under Turkish rule, the locals set out to stage a mystery play depicting the life of Christ. Suddenly, the drama of their Passion play begins to unfold in real life, blurring the lines between performance and reality.
BY Sofka Zinovieff
A sweeping saga of love and loss beginning on the streets of Nazi-occupied Athens, through the oppressive era of the military junta, and into the conflicts of modern-day Greece. A profound exploration of what happens when political beliefs threaten to eclipse our humanity.
Thank you to Victoria Hislop for discussing her work with us. For more on Hislop's novels, visit her
website.
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