American Chronicle, CA
May 6 2008
Derek Adie Flower author of The Shores of Wisdom, The Tuscany Trilogy
Norm Goldman
May 05, 2008
Today, Lily Azerad-Goldman, one of Bookpleasures’ reviewers is
pleased to have as our guest, novelist Derek Adie Flower author of The
Shores of Wisdom, The Tuscany Trilogy, Inquest On IMHOTEP (Beyond The
White Walls), Ransomed, and his most recent tome, Farewell
Alexandria. Farewell Alexandria is of particular interest to Lily as
she was born in Egypt and lived there for seventeen years before
migrating to Canada in the early 60s.
Good day Derek and thanks for participating in our interview.
Lily:
Were you born in Egypt? Why and when did you leave Egypt and where do
you live now?
Derek:
Thank you, Lily, I’m delighted to be interviewed by you. I was born in
Geneva – my parents had a house there – but was brought up between
Alexandria and Cairo , where our family resided principally. I left
Egypt in 1956 after the Suez crisis, and after livingsuccessively in
London, Cannes, Milan, Florence and Rome, I now live with my wife at
Nettuno, some 60 kms. on the coast south of Rome. Curiously it reminds
me a lot of Alex with its palm trees, and we’re fortunate enough to
live in the centre of a park with private way down to the beach.
Lily:
What motivated you to write Farewell Alexandria?
Derek:
Probably through a form of nostalgia, the wish to recall the happy
days spent, both by me and may parents, in what was once one of the
glittering centres of the Mediterranean.
Lily
Is Farewell Alexandria an autobiography or the story of your relatives
and friends?
Derek:
I was asked the same question when interviewed by the B.B.C. in
London. No it is not an autobiography though Julius may represent some
of my aspirations, nor is it the story of my family or relatives of
mine, but all the principal characters are based on people I had
either met or heard about.
Lily:
You know how to reflect the diversity of various ethnicities that
existed in Egypt in the timeframe of your story. But why is your main
protagonist an Armenian?
Derek:
There were a lot of Armenians in Egypt who, persecuted in their own
country, had gone there to start a new life. Also the carpenter who
did our house at Agami, was Armenian, so it came naturally to me to
make Antor Caspardian of Armenian descent.
Lily:
Did the incident with the poor Jewish man really happen during a riot?
Personally, when I lived in Egypt, I remember huddling with my family
in a first floor building listening to the screams and invectives of
the mob running past our doors. Thank G-d they did not penetrate our
building!
Derek:
Yes, I was told about it by my parents. In fact my Mother was caught
in a riot when her car broke down just as the mob came charging down
the street. Luckily her chauffeur managed to keep the rioters at bay,
so no harm was done.
Lily:
How did Antor Caspardian become such a good businessman? His story is
quite plausible and is the dream of all Egyptians, especially my
dad’s. Did you have any wheeling and dealing in such businesses?
Derek:
As I explain in the book, he was bright, single minded and a go-getter
who learnt the tricks of the trade while an apprentice in the various
companies he worked for, including the bank. He then simply grasped
the opportunities offered him. As for me, not only was I involved in
oil brokerage in the 80s and 90s as well as insurance and banking, but
my father had controlled companies which imported many of the cars
imported into Egypt, from Rolls Royces to Mini Minors, as well as
refrigerators etc. So I had a certain experience as a youngster on how
businesses operated.
Lily:
How did you know about King Farouk’s weakness for playing and winning
at cards? And how did you know about the money evasion schemes (which
are all true stories!)
Derek:
The father of my best friend, Norman Ades, played poker regularly with
Farouk, so we had first hand knowledge of what happened at those
sessions, and how losing gracefully could turn into an advantage when
wanting to export funds. A word from the king and the problem was
solved!
Lily:
You included many stories that make your book quite a saga. Did you
remember these stories or did you have references? For example the
stories on the luxurious Yacht bring back to mind Onassis and his
lavish lifestyle.
Derek:
Some of the episodes I recount I remembered, others refer to people I
knew or my friends knew. The luxurious yacht was actually based on
that of the billionaire Kashogi, onto which I was invited when it
berthed at Porto Santo Stefano, on the Tuscan coast. I actually owned
a yacht at one time with a friend, a converted motor torpedo boat, but
of course it was no way as luxurious as the one I describe.
Lily:
How did you develop the plot and characters? Did you use any set
formula?As a follow up, did you know anyone who was paralysed like
George? Did you make any research into that state of mind?
Derek:
Like in other novels I have written, I develop the plot and characters
as I write, so have no set formula., which maybe explains why my
novels are all different.
The only one which maybe resembles Farewell Alexandria is another
‘saga’ called The Tuscan Trilogy. However, I do research carefully the
facts and events around which the characters evolve. Where George’s
paralysis is concerned, I did question a specialist as to what can
happen when a person has a ‘stroke’ like George, or a cancer like
Cecily, but their states of mind are my diagnosis, following the
characters I have given them.
Incidentally, George’s business success story is based on that of a a
person I knew, though his character was my invention.
Lily:
A.J. is a typical terrorist mind. I learned a few new things on the
civil war in Lebanon and the different factions vying for power and
murder. Were you in Lebanon at that time? And why do you call Lebanon,
The Lebanon?
Derek:
No, I was not, but my wife spent her early childhood in Beyrout and
was very close to the then President Chamoun’s family and
children. His young son, Danny, used to consider her his kid sister.
I met him in Paris, many years later, and he gave me a lot of
background information on the
events which took place there. He was at the head of one of the
factions in the Lebanese civil war, and was subsequently killed by a
rival faction, together with his wife and two of his three children. A
terrible tragedy.
Why do I call it the Lebanon? Good question. Possibly because in
French it was always known as le Liban, a throwback, maybe, to when it
was a province of Syria, but also because maybe erroneously, we have
always referred to it as such.
Lily:
I loved your ending and will not ask you any questions other than say
this was a fitting one.
Derek:
Thank you.
Lily:
How did you know when your book was finished?
Derek:
When all the principal characters had said and done what I wanted them
to.
Lily:
In fiction as well as in non-fiction, writers very often take
liberties with their material to tell
a good story or make a point. But how much is too much?
Derek:
A difficult question where fiction is concerned, In non-fiction,
however, I reckon one cannot take liberties and must recount only
facts, otherwise it becomes the so-called ‘faction’.
In fiction, my view is that it is up to the author, and the public
will then decide how much is too much.
Lily:
Has your environment and/or upbringing influenced your writing?
Derek:
Certainly.
Lily:
Do you still go back to Alexandria?
Derek:
Yes. In 2002 I was invited to the opening of the new Alexandrian
Library ` a remarkable building ` which put Alexandria back on the map
culturally, and since then I have been back twice. I am planning to go
there this winter as I still have friends there also.
Lily:
Are you working on any books/projects that you would like to share
with us?
(We would love to hear all about them!)
Derek:
Yes. I have just finished my second ‘saga’ The Tuscan Trilogy ` if you
go to my website: www. derekflower.com you can see what it is about,
and I have also just finished a series of adventures for young adults,
entitled, ‘The Weird and Wonderful Adventures of Tim Wessurp, ‘TWERP.’
Again, details can be seen on my website.
Lily:
Where can our readers find out more about you and your book and is
there anything else you wish to add that we have not covered?
Derek:
Probably by visiting my website, where there is quite a lot about my
books and me.
Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors.
Derek. It is I who thank you.
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