In the summer of 1972, Famagusta in Cyprus is the most desirable resort in the Mediterranean, a city bathed in the glow of good fortune. An ambitious couple are about to open the island's most spectacular hotel, where Greek and Turkish Cypriots work in harmony. Two neighbouring families, the Georgious and the OEzkans, are among many who moved to Famagusta to escape the years of unrest and ethnic violence elsewhere on the island. But beneath the city's facade of glamour and success, tension is building. Famagusta was once a thriving city of forty thousand people. In 1974 its entire population fled when Cyprus was invaded by Turkey. Forty years on, Varosha, as the modern city is known, remains empty, sealed off behind the barbed wire put up by the Turkish army. It is a ghost town”. Some of the hotels were bombed by Turkish planes during the invasion. This hotel was one of the most luxurious in the resort. When I see it, it feels as if the events of 1974 just happened a few moments ago, as though the bombers have just passed over and done their damage. The war was brief and violent (lasting only a few days in all), but the damage was catastrophic to this island. The occupation has now lasted more than forty years. The story of conflict and its consequences of course has great relevance today, with the current troubles in Gaza, Iraq and Ukraine. I took this photo from the office of the Turkish mayor of Famagusta. In the picture, we see some of the older buildings of the city, including one of the original hotels of the city, The Savoy. It’s clear here how nature has taken over, with weeds growing up into the middle of the streets and a general state of dilapidation. And the picture also gives an idea of the scale of the city.

Fascinating and moving... Hislop writes unforgettably about Cyprus and its people." - The Times (UK) The Ozkans are on the same wrung of the ladder and have a lot in common with the Georgious, a factor that comes in handy when they're both marooned in a no-man's-land as the Turkish advance, leading to some extraordinarily tense moments and an explosive climax.I enjoyed this story and the setting and the characters, however, for me, there was something missing. Despite the fact that the author does not hide the violence, this novel still felt a little too glossy, with just a few too many coincidences to convince me of the authenticity of the plot. Ian is much cleverer than I am,” insists Victoria, whose debut 2005 novel The Island has to date sold more than three million copies worldwide, been translated into 31 languages and was made into a hit 26-part Greek TV series, in which both Victoria and Ian had walk-on parts. The places I describe are also real. The story mostly takes place in Famagusta (known as Ammohostos to the Greeks). I wanted to share some images of this place, firstly some postcards that show the city as it was, and then a series of photographs which I took last summer.

It is here, in Famagusta, that Victoria sets her book, during the build-up to the terrible events, and then the aftermath. She describes the opulence of the hotel that is central to the book, The Sunrise, with its gleaming marble floors and caryatids and luxury suites, built and run by Aphroditi and Savvas Papacosta, the proprietors with an eye for detail and money making ventures in their heyday. Two families, the Özkans and the Geogious have family members employed at the hotel, representing, like a vignette, the bigger divide between nationalities – the women are friends but the menfolk are wary. Life however, is generally good for most people, but the tide is about to turn… An amazingly intricate and ambitious first novel - ten years in the making - that puts an engrossing new spin on the traditional haunted-house tale. This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022. Hislop hasn't of course been into Famagusta - no one may, even now - but has stood near the barbed wire and imagined what life was like there, then and now, with her usual gift for presenting bits of history most of us are unfamiliar with from a fictional point of view." - Independent on Sunday (UK)Hislop captures well the dreamy and Edenic time before the occupation as well as the fear and chaos afterward. The Greek Cypriots who had fled from Varosha were not allowed to return, and journalists are banned. It has been frozen in time with houses, department stores and hotels empty and looted, even tiles on bathroom walls. “This piece of history is still there, just living like this. “There is still a ghost town there in Cyprus. I found it so extraordinary. She is also looking forward to meeting and talking to fans. “I am hoping there could be a few people come along who will remember the 70s because that was their time and perhaps be able to share some living memories. “The question and answer bit is nice, it’s dynamic, I love to hear from readers and I love them to ask questions. I enjoy that interaction. I like to listen to other people. I’d love to hear from anyone there who has lived in Cyprus, especially during the period in question. Anyone who has memories of the events, that would be really exciting for me.” The idea came out of a conversation with some school teachers in Crete.” said Victoria “They commented that there were so many themes in the story that were as relevant to children as to adults but felt that the original novel was a little too grown-up for many of them. I realised that much of the book is actually about children and their experiences of stigma and loss, so this has been a wonderful experience for me, to look at things through their eyes. Writing for children requires a whole different set of skills and I hope they will enjoy reading it.” Victoria married Private Eye editor Ian Hislop on 16 April 1988 in Oxford; the couple have two children, Emily Helen (born 1990) and William David (born 1993). [8]

Hislop προσπαθεί μέσα από το βιβλίο της αυτό να κρατήσει μια ουδέτερη στάση όσον αφορά το καυτό θέμα της Κύπρου και της εισβολής των Τούρκων σε αυτή. Και ναι, δέχομαι πως πρόκειται για μυθιστόρημα και όχι για ιστορικό δοκίμιο, αλλά κάποια θέματα είναι πολύ νωπά και πολύ ευαίσθητα για να τα αγγίζουμε με τρόπους που δεν ανταποκρίνονται απόλυτα στην αλήθεια. Καταλαβαίνω την ανθρώπινη ανάγκη της να μοιράσει τις ευθύνες, όμως αυτό δεν είναι πάντα δυνατόν και το σημαντικότερο όλων, δεν είναι πάντα σωστό. Παράλληλα, η συγγραφέας, χρησιμοποιεί πάρα πολύ έντονα το στοιχείο των συμπτώσεων, σε βαθμό που αυτές χάνουν την ρεαλιστικότητά τους και το κείμενο συνολικά, την αξιοπιστία του. Ακόμα και η βία είναι συγκαλυμμένη ενώ θα μπορούσε να την διαχειριστεί με τρόπο πιο ωμό, εφόσον στο σκέλος του διαχειρισμού της έννοιας της αγάπης δεν τα καταφέρνει και τόσο καλά. The tale is narrated by Maria, one of the children in Hislop’s novel The Island, from which this engrossing yarn is skillfully adapted for younger readers. In the summer of 1972, Famagusta in Cyprus is the most desirable resort in the Mediterranean, a city bathed in the glow of good fortune. An ambitious couple are about to open the island's most spectacular hotel, where Greek and Turkish Cypriots work in harmony. Two neighbouring families, the Georgious and the Özkans, are among many who moved to Famagusta to escape the years of unrest and ethnic violence elsewhere on the island. But beneath the city's façade of glamour and success, tension is building. Born in Bromley, Kent, she was raised in Tonbridge and attended Tonbridge Grammar School. [3] She studied English at St Hilda's College, Oxford, [4] and worked in publishing and as a journalist before becoming an author. [5] Career [ edit ] Beginning in the summer of 1972, The Sunrise is the story of the old Famagusta. The glittering, glamorous holiday resort populated by the beautiful rich and serviced by wonderful hotels and willing locals. The wealthiest of these visitors stay at The Sunrise; a new hotel built and owned by Savvas Papacosta and his wife Aphroditi. The Sunrise is their latest venture, glitzier and more expensive than their other hotel, and financed by Aphroditi's wealthy father.Intelligent and immersive… Hislop’s incisive narrative weaves a vast array of fact through a poignant, compelling family saga ( The Sunday Times) I’m starting to write a few things in Greek, one day I may write a novel in Greek and have it translated into English! The first year of learning Greek I spent learning the different alphabet and the grammar is quite complex – each noun has three cases, masculine, feminine or neutral. And sometimes it can quite illogical. But I can now speak pretty fluent Greek. It’s always been travelling which has given me inspiration. But we should always be prepared for surprises. An absorbing tale about family, friendship, loyalty and betrayal, set during a violent period in the history of Cyprus." - Good Housekeeping (UK)