Occasionally you will have the honour of meeting a truly beautiful person, Athena Sydney is one of them. Her novel, 'Heiress to Evil', was published last year, a gripping, supernatural thriller set against the stormy backdrop of an isolated Irish village. It was an absolute pleasure to interview her, sneaking in questions asked by other Grove members along the way.
Being Athena Sydney
Could you tell me a little about your background please?
I was born and raised in the Netherlands, where I studied tourism. After school, I wanted to see the world and started by working in Switzerland as an au-pair for about a year. Consequently, I worked in London (UK), Spain (Costa Brava & Tenerife), Paris (France), Cos (Greece) and Los Angeles (USA). In retrospect, I'm very happy I did, and saw all those different countries and cultures. Even though most of my travels were in Europe, there is an immense difference in the culture of those countries.
You are Dutch and yet write in English, was there a reason for this?
The story ideas came to me in English and it only seemed natural to write them in English. I must say I have more trouble writing in Dutch nowadays, and of course there is the notion that when you write in Dutch and try to translate your most beautiful sentence from English into Dutch, it sounds like a bad attempt at writing presumptious literature, while in English that same sentence sounds poetic and not at all presumtious. One of my favourite sentences in Heiress to Evil is like that - and it made me realise that I should continue writing in English.
Of course, I'm curious as to which sentence that is...
Staring out the window, she looked at the Beltane fires that had been lit. They filled the countryside with an eerie pregnant glow; a pregnancy of the land, and the child it would bear would be an abomination if this wedding would ever take place.
I can see why you're proud of that sentence. So how many languages do you speak?
I'm fluent in three languages; Dutch, English, and German. I'm fairly fluent in French. And I can manage in Spanish, and speak the odd word of Greek. Not enough to impress anyone for a long time though.
I once spoke with someone who was fluent in several languages and could get by in several more. He told me that it gets easier to learn languages the more that you speak, because of how interconnected many of them are. Would you agree with this and are there any plans to become fluent in more?
I find the minute my Spanish improves, I have a hard time speaking French, but I can understand Italian. When my French improves, my Spanish isn't really worth mentioning.
I would love to be fluent in Welsh, Russian and Greek as well.
How many countries have you lived in? And would you say that you have a wanderlust?
Seven including my native country, the Netherlands. My maternal grandfather used to say he had gypsy blood, and pointed at me when people asked him who he passed it onto. But as it turns out his entire family could be traced back in the Netherlands until the early 17th century.
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Either the Greek isles or Wales. And since my English is much better than my Greek, I'd say it would have to be Wales. I feel at home in both countries, whenever I set foot on Greek soil it feels like I'm returning home, and the same goes for Wales.
How would you describe yourself?
I really think I'm extremely boring - I spend most of my time behind my computer to make up stories, doing research and on occasion I venture out to meet up with my friends. I'm also extremely strong-headed and have an opinion - and I'm not afraid to state it, yet at the same time I'm very shy when it comes to talking about myself. And one thing I know for sure now, I really don't like being interviewed ;-)