Land of warmth, light and antiquity

Victoria Hislop first visited Greece with her mother and sister in 1976, at the age of 17. They spent a week in Athens and then another on the island of Paros. “We had the opportunity to get a taste of the diversity of Greece. On the one hand, the heat and dust of Athens, the wonderful confusion of traffic, people, noise and great monuments. I felt like I was frozen as it all swirled around me,” she recalls.

“And then we got on the boat, crossed the Aegean and arrived at the tranquility of a Cycladic island, its slow rhythms, clean warm sea and white sand. The beauty of both these aspects of Greece overwhelmed me and had a huge impact on me, perhaps because I hadn’t traveled outside the UK at all and the differences between my home country and this place of warmth, light and antiquity with its more outgoing people fascinated me. It was like a magic spell that I never wanted to break!” she concludes fervently. Since then, this spell has kept her deeply connected to the country.

In July 2020, she was awarded Greek citizenship by the president of Greece for promoting modern Greek history and culture in her novels. She learned the Greek language, in which this interview was conducted, and is among the most ardent supporters of the return of the Parthenon Marbles and a particularly active member of the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles.

Her latest book, “The Figurine” (published in Greek by Psichogios), addresses the issue of antiquity theft, the “looting of antiquity,” as she puts it. The central character is Helena, half Greek and half Scottish, who is introduced to Greece at the age of 8 during a visit to her grandparents, to whom she returns every summer of her adolescence, which coincides with the years of the dictatorship. When they die, Helena discovers that her grandfather, a general loyal to the regime of the colonels, had collected valuable objects and antiquities. She embarks on a struggle to find answers about their origins, out of which a need to protect her ancestral country’s historical treasures is born.

Is the way Helena discovers Greece somewhat similar to your own experience of getting to know the country and ultimately its treasures?

Helena is younger than I was when I first arrived, but her impressions are very close to mine as a teenager. Like me, she is fascinated by the dazzling sunshine and the incredible heat. I was already 40 when I started learning Greek, but my desire to immerse myself in Greek culture and my appreciation of everything that makes Greece so different from Britain, especially the food, is similar to Helena’s.

What had fascinated you and what had disappointed you?

I remember two very specific things from that first visit to Greece, how foreign the language was to me and the street signs. We got lost many times in Athens, but we didn’t feel fear or anxiety. I think that’s when I realized that getting lost leads you to discover something. Then I didn’t feel disappointment about anything. I still have a very positive view of Greece, although Greek friends often point out its disadvantages. If I had to point out one negative, it would be that it lags behind other European countries in the implementation of anti-smoking laws.

‘Many of those found are over 4,000 years old and yet they have a sense of modernity that is really enticing. Over 90% of what was found is of female form. All of this intrigued me’

What was your reason for writing this book?

Every time I write a new book it is because I want to tell a story, but also to share a passion or a discovery with readers. And it’s always a topic or place I want to learn about and understand better. This has been the impetus for every novel I’ve written, whether it was about the injustice of stigma in “The Island,” the illegal Turkish occupation of Cyprus in “Sunrise,” or the complex and rich history of Thessaloniki in “The Thread.” It was the same with “The Figurine.” I wanted to write on the subject of the looting of antiquity, because it is important and is a serious crime against culture. It touches on the fundamental principles of why culture matters and why we are all poorer if we are deprived of our past. Surely the fact that more treasures have been stolen from Greece than from Britain played a part. Respect for culture is important, regardless of nationality.

Were there any facts or information you discovered in your research that surprised you?

I think the extent of the looting of antiquities and the long and complex chain of intermediaries who profit from it really surprised me. And, of course, the lack of scruples of those who have benefited, even the famous auction houses who in the past have deliberately overlooked the “history” of how certain objects were acquired.

Why did you choose to write about figurines?

Cycladic figurines interest me for many reasons. First of all, they are very beautiful, tranquil-looking, small and mysterious. Many of those found are over 4,000 years old and yet they have a sense of modernity that is really enticing. Over 90% of what was found is of female form. All of this intrigued me. But also the fact that there are still many unknowns about the figurines – for example, why so many female figures? It is perhaps their beauty that drew me to them most of all. One figurine was sold in New York about a decade ago for $16 million, proving that people are willing to pay almost anything to get one, and this inflates both the value and the incentive to steal.

Do figurines serve as symbols for other stolen antiquities?

They are important in their own right. But of course, there are some very notable examples of illegality that are more well known than figurine thefts, the Parthenon Sculptures for example, which is a huge issue for Greece – and should be for the British as well. I firmly believe that the sculptures should be returned to Athens and reunited with the others in the beautiful Acropolis Museum. And on this there are developments. There is a dialogue between Greece and the chairman of the commissioners. But at the moment the British Museum is not going to change its fundamental belief that the sculptures “belong” to it. They are currently looking for a new director and I am sure they will appoint someone with conservative views. What is really required is for the museum to acknowledge that they acquired stolen property when they bought the sculptures from Lord Elgin. And for 150 years they have been endlessly repeating to themselves, and to their visitors, the same lie: that the sultan gave official permission for Elgin to take the sculptures. The museum essentially ignores well-documented facts. It is difficult to negotiate with someone who stubbornly refuses to see the truth. I believe that one day they will be returned, but not until we have a change of government, a more enlightened and socialist one. We still have the government that brought about Brexit and who believe in some kind of superiority of Britain over the world – and that we have a right to own these works of art. This is not an open-minded position.

‘The museum essentially ignores well-documented facts. It is difficult to negotiate with someone who stubbornly refuses to see the truth’ 

What is the British public’s position and how much can books like yours influence it?

Public opinion is shifting in favor of the return of the sculptures, at well over 60 percent, which is growing all the time. And there is also a growing wave of recognition that museums need to review their collections and, if they have objects that were stolen or acquired during periods of sovereignty against the will of the country of origin, then they should respond to the country’s request for their return. This is civilized behavior and in other countries this is what happens – sadly not in Britain. I already know that “The Figurine” has had an impact on people, as it has given me the opportunity to speak publicly about the real story of Elgin, not the one advertised in the British Museum. Also, it is always worth repeating that the British Museum exhibits only 1% of its collection – 99% is held in storage. So, if the sculptures are returned to their rightful home, they won’t have much empty space! They will be able to display part of the hidden 99%. Before that too is “stolen” from them…

What did you know and what was your opinion of the Parthenon Sculptures before you investigated the matter?

For many years I felt a great love for the British Museum. Visits there were part of my education and that was important to me in the 60s and 70s, before we all got on planes and traveled to Europe. Neil MacGregor, who was director for many years, was a very charismatic and eloquent spokesman for the British Museum’s position as the Museum of the World. To be honest, to some extent I became complacent and had not read the dozen or so books on the true story of Elgin’s actions. Then came Brexit, Boris Johnson, who dismissed any possible return of the sculptures, and the “narrowing” of Britain as I see it. What is the argument for preserving important elements of European culture and heritage when we are no longer part of Europe? I am now passionate and an advocate for the return of the sculptures to Greece, and I am fighting for it.

Three of your books have already been televised. Is there any thought of doing the same with “The Figurine”?

That would be great, but the rights have not yet been sold. Ideally, I would like to see a series or film shown in the UK, because then it would be an even more powerful tool to draw people into the idea that certain cultural treasures should live in their homeland. Important objects belong to the nation that created them and tell an important part of that nation’s history. Only when they are whole can they tell their story.

The presentation of the book “The Figurine” by Victoria Hislop will take place at 8 p.m. on Thursday, January 25, at the Acropolis Museum Amphitheater, in the Dimitrios Pandermalis Hall. Nikos Stampolidis, general director of the Acropolis Museum, Alexis Papachelas, executive editor of Kathimerini, as well as the author will speak about the book. Excerpts will be read by actors Yorgos Karamihos, Alexandros Logothetis and Katerina Lehou.