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Bestselling Author Victoria Hislop Discusses Greece

Internationally renowned author Victoria Hislop has settled in Athens!

The acclaimed writer, who has written global best-selling novels on Greece, including "The Island" and "The Thread" has been trying to settle in the city for some time.

In Kathimerini's interview: "Celebrated UK writer Victoria Hislop puts down roots in central Athens" by Marialena Spyropoulou, the British novelist discusses her ties to Greece and what she's planning next.

Excerpts of Spyropoulou's interview can be read below.

So what else is the author up to these days?

"I'm finishing my new book. The plot is Cyprus, 1974, very new for me. The book will be ready for England in September."

Why did she decide to get a place in Athens?

"I come to Athens nearly every month to see friends, do talks, or something with my books. Being in a hotel you are never part of a place. I very quickly found the perfect place. I am so excited. It's very near Vaso [Sotiriou is also her manager]. It's very lively and I want to write more about Athens, not journalistic, fictional things. It's a very inspiring city. Staying in a hotel makes you an outsider, and I want to speak the language properly and this will help a great deal. I have to furnish it first," said Hislop, who has already had a taste of local red tape in her efforts to get her apartment connected to the power grid.

What does Athens mean to Hislop?

"My first visit to Athens was a long time ago. My Athens is my friends and the people [connected with] 'The Island' [The award-winning novel set on the island of Spinalonga was also adapted for TV and aired on Mega Channel in 2010]. They live in Athens and work in theater, so it's always a priority for me to see a play. I really enjoy it because it stretches my Greek. The theater seems to do incredibly well in Athens. I love Greek music, I go to [Antonis] Remos concerts. I haven't seen Anna Vissi yet, but I want to."

What are the best and worst things about Greece?

"The sea is extraordinary. I have traveled pretty much all over the world and the sea in Greece is better than anywhere else. Apart from taxi drivers in Athens, [the worst thing] is the smell of cigarette smoke. I get a cough every time I come to Greece. I can't understand why people poison their lungs."

(Source:http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite4_1_11/06/2014_540473).

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