Biscuits & Books with Black Swan
01 – Mark Harland
Mark Harland, born in Malta in 1953, is the son of an Admiralty Radio Officer. Following the merger of his father’s job into the GCHQ, he considers himself lucky to have lead a very international life-style and he has no doubts the experiences that ensued equipped him well for later life, in particular his role today as a writer.
After a seven year stint with a High Street bank in Yorkshire the tedium finally got to him and he used his experience to work offshore in the Middle and Far East. He took up writing as a hobby in 2000 and the political satirical novel ‘Your Country Needs You’ was his debut novel.
Eventually persuaded to write about his life and experiences abroad, Mark has followed up satire with memoirs of Malta, Hong Kong and latterly Australia.
We had the honour of talking to Mark recently, this is how it went…
BSBP: First off, where does that sense of humour come from?
MVH: My sense of humour is almost certainly inherited from my father’s side of the family who were all naval people and well-travelled. Jokes and anecdotes from all over the world have thus impregnated my persona for the whole of my life.
BSBP: Your writing shows examples of how well travelled you are. Where has been your favourite place to visit? Where to next?
MVH: Malta is, of course, my favourite place to visit but I am fond of Belgium too and also Australia. I want to make a third visit ‘Down Under’ as soon as time and funds allow.
BSBP: You describe growing up in Malta, and the experience of going back to visit as an adult. What is it about Malta that keeps you coming back for more?
MVH: To me, Malta is a special place. All places are unique but Malta is particularly unique. Its connections with Britain extend more than 200 years and possibly several thousand Brits were born in Malta between 1802 and 2000. Native ‘Maltesers’ have a fabulous DNA as the island has been invaded many times in the last 2,000 years. Romans, Phoenicians, Arabs, Carthaginians – not to mention the French and the British – have all contributed to the gene pool. Maltese people are the most hospitable in the world and apart from that the sun shines strongly nearly every day. What more could you ask for?
BSBP: What instigated the switch from writing fiction to including non-fiction into your work?
MVH: I was lent a book called ‘Gweilo’ written by the late Martin Booth in which he wrote his memoirs of living in Hong Kong as a young schoolboy in the Fifties. He left HK in the early Sixties so I thought that, time-wise, I could start where he left off. However I decided to write my own memoires of living in Malta first (MALTA My Island) which I completed before I wrote One Thousand Days in Hong Kong. So it was Martin’s book that inspired me. Two further non-fiction publications followed about Australia and Belgium respectively. I then reverted to novels with publication of The Takeaway set in Hong Kong and the sequel The Maltese Mandarin set in Malta.
BSBP: You’ve led a varied life to say the least. What could possibly be next?
MVH: What’s next? Well a sequel to The Maltese Mandarin is on the cards for next year but I need to see positive sales from this book first to encourage me.
BSBP: What are you reading right now?
MVH: I have just finished reading Ken Follet’s new novel called NEVER – a brilliant read and a top-notch geo-political thriller. If The Maltese Mandarin receives similar accolades I will be over the moon. Fingers crossed.
So, what lies ahead? Who knows but Mark’s imagination knows no bounds and his ultimate literary ambition is to write and publish a James Bond novel. Watch this space.
Where to find Mark
Website: http://mvhbooks.com/
Twitter: @MVHBooks
Where to find his books
