I first had the idea for the Sea Goddess some twenty years ago. A Greek film director friend and colleague told me he was investigating the possibility of a joint venture with an Irish production company and asked me if I had any ideas for a film script that would contain both Irish and Greek elements. The idea appealed to me.
At the time I had spent exactly have my life in Ireland and half in Greece. Both countries had had an equal influence on me. I felt at home in Greece but I still regarded Ireland as my home. So, the idea of finding a way to connect the two was exciting. It was clearly not going to be a documentary. So, I had to think of the best way to construct a scenario that would connect two countries located at opposite sides of Europe.
I decided it had to be about the people. I had observed over the years that the Irish and the Greeks have a lot in common. Their similar historical backgrounds. Having been under the yoke of a foreign power for centuries had had a humbling effect, making them sympathetic towards the underdog. However, it also made them resilient and proud of a heritage their conquerors had tried to erase. Like the Irish, the Greeks are a tough, proud race, who fought hard to gain their independence. They understand pain and suffering and therefore are sympathetic towards the oppressed.
I sat down and wrote a five-page outline of what I originally called A Meeting of Minds. I chose two diametrically opposed characters, Declan and Teo and tried to weave a story around them. I wanted to juxtapose two people from totally different cultures and widely varying attitudes to life. Yet, they would find a connection and become close friends.
They would also have completely different personalities, the one a daredevil, somewhat reckless, never fully content with his lot and not always faithful to his partner, while the other would be more traditional, fulfilled in his work and utterly devoted to one woman. I did not intend them to be representative of their race. They could very easily have swapped roles. The fact that one is Irish and the other Greek is of little significance, though having been brought up in Ireland and lived for most of my working life in Greece, I had become aware of certain differences. The Greeks tend to take themselves seriously while the Irish are less reluctant to make fun of their foibles.
The key to The Sea Goddess, a title suggested by my publisher, is duality; two men, two cultures, two countries, two stories. Declan is a writer. It is his passion. It is what gives meaning and purpose to his life. In fact, it is the defining factor in his relationship with Siobhain, his wife, and which finally leads to their separation. Theo is an archaeologist whose passion is delving into the past. Unlike Declan, Teo has no marital obligations and pursues his passion unrestricted.
Their paths follow a very different course, one in Ireland, the other in Greece, but they never lose touch. Having been fellow students at Trinity College Dublin, they meet up frequently after graduation, especially in the early days of Declan and Soibhain’s marriage. Throughout the story, we learn more and more about their relationship and why they remain friends.
The story unfolds in three locations; the early part on one of the Aran Islands, the second in Dublin and the third on the island of Kythnos, one of the Cycladic islands. I thought that beginning the story on an Irish and finishing it on a Greek island conferred a satisfactory balance between both countries.
While the story develops, Declan is writing his latest novel, which coincidentally takes place on one of the Aran Islands, where Soibhain was buried in the first chapter of the book. In this way, I wanted to contrast real life with fiction, yet at the same time showing how fiction and reality are often intertwined. I also tried to show how a writer’s life, his or her character and attitudes are inevitably stamped on what he or she is writing. Consciously or unconsciously, a writer cannot help but inject aspects of him or herself into the story he or she is writing.
I suppose Declan and Teo represent both sides of me. Declan represents my dark side, my dangerous, depressive side, the side that can alienate and hurt, not out of malice but frustration or dissatisfaction with a humdrum existence, an almost pathological need for change and excitement. Teo represents my staid side, my concern for others, my desire to be a good friend and partner, an understanding that tradition and the past are important in maintaining continuity and connection to the world in which we live and the people around us.
Though the novel bears little resemblance to my life as such, it is a very personal novel. I spent a very memorable holiday on Inishmore some years ago and Kythnos has become a holiday home for me and my family, a place where I have time to think and write.
Islanders have a lot in common. They are by nature insular, with a culture and even a dialect of their own. They have a very close tie to the sea, which insulates them from the outside world. It is also the element they understand best. In all my novels, the sea represents constancy, the same ebb and flow that has remained unchanged for millions of years.
For me, it has always been the symbol of life, from which we have emerged and will eventually return to. It is something to be feared and adored in equal measure.