Today we talk about Citizen of Nowhere, a book by Glynis Scott published with our publishing house Europe Books.
Europe Books had the pleasure of interviewing the author Glynis Scott, to get to know her better, what was the moment that led her to the writing of her book Citizen of Nowhere, as well as sensations she felt by ‘reading’ her life on the pages of her book.
Below you can find our interview. Take a seat and enjoy your reading!!!
- What was the moment that led you to the writing of your autobiographical story?
BREXIT! I was so disappointed and disheartened that Britain decided to leave the E.U. We used to have Europeans coming to this part of eastern England where I live now, to work in care homes, on farms and in the busy hospitality sector. Now they don’t come and all those industries are short-staffed, causing operating difficulties and increased costs. The freedom my four children had to travel, study and work in Europe is now denied to my grandchildren who will have to get visas and permits to go anywhere and do anything. As British citizens we have lost so much and gained nothing. Cutting ourselves off from Europe is a retrograde step which impacts us all.
- What sensations did you feel by ‘reading’ your life on the pages of your book?
I came to realize how so many things that happened during my childhood and early years of travel led to my fierce sense of ‘internationalism’, understanding that “no man is an island” and that the world cannot improve the lives of its citizens if we do not work together: global warming and climate change are the obvious examples of how we can destroy the world if we do not cooperate. I also appreciated how, in life, one decision can lead to another and we don’t always realize the connections that are a result of earlier aims and ambitions.
- What are the messages you want to send out with your book?
We live in a ‘small’ world; we are all interconnected and we can only improve lives and deal with the problems we face – as one world, not as separate countries. That’s why Brexit distressed me so much. It took us backwards. I have British and American passports and I feel myself a European and when I lived in Colombia and the Dominican Republic, I wanted to identify with people there too. I thought the greatest gift I could give my children was a second language and between them they speak French, Spanish, Russian, German, Italian and Chinese and I have a grandson studying Arabic. We all need to understand each other better, and if it’s difficult to travel we can read – both fiction and non-fiction – to understand other places and people.
- What added value has travelling in different countries brought to your writing style?
I think the way it has most affected my writing style is the need to create an image of a place, person or experience that is as vivid as possible. That means a writer has to be very careful with word choice, and to write in insightful but short sentences. To be descriptive, it’s essential to be both precise and concise. It’s also important to learn at least one other language to better communicate with people you meet, if only briefly and superficially. Speaking another language and reading in that language helps you understand how other people think and what their values are. I learned French and Spanish at school. I have tried to learn German and Russian at different times – and even had a go at Arabic. And in recent years I have continued to improve my very basic Italian. Reading affects the way you write more than travelling.
- Are you planning to write more books?
Well, since I’m 80, if I’m going to write another book, I’d better get on with it quickly! Actually, I do have an idea for another book, but it would be quite different from this one. Instead of the theme of internationalism, I should like to focus on describing my local community from an historic perspective. Here, in the town where I grew up, I should like to picture a certain group of people as they are now, but acknowledging where they have come from, how their beliefs, attitudes and behaviours have evolved and exploring how times and places have altered, tracing change and continuity through historical research.
Europe Books thanks the author Glynis Scott once again for taking the time and answering our questions. We are really pleased to have walked alongside her on the editorial path that led to the publication of her book Citizen of Nowhere. We wish her the best of luck for her future works.
To you, my dear reader, I wish that reading this book can resonate with your personal experiences, provide you with food for thought for your everyday life and make you reflect on the importance of being interconnected because it allows us to improve our life and the challenges it presents to us.
So, my dear reader, all I have to say is to enjoy this very nice reading!
Your editor!