Expat Author Interview with Inka Piegsa-Quischotte
Inka Piegsa-Quischotte alias The Glamour Granny |
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Inka Piegsa-Quischotte is what you might call a ‘dual’ expat. At present, she lives in Turkey and Miami, Florida. She was born in Germany but went to university in Switzerland, the UK and Spain. She’s been travelling her entire life – first with her parents, then on her own. She worked a few years in Germany as an attorney, but when her inner nomad stirred again she went to live and work in the South of Spain and in London, simultaneously, and travelled extensively during that time on business. Inka speaks five languages.
Inka Piegsa-Quischotte is what you might call a ‘dual’ expat. At present, she lives in Turkey and Miami, Florida. She was born in Germany but went to university in Switzerland, the UK and Spain. She’s been travelling her entire life – first with her parents, then on her own. She worked a few years in Germany as an attorney, but when her inner nomad stirred again she went to live and work in the South of Spain and in London, simultaneously, and travelled extensively during that time on business. Inka speaks five languages.
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"There came a time when I realised I'd been to the most exotic places in the world but had seen . . . absolutely nothing. Practically over night, I decided to give it all up and travel the world to see."
IMBO: Inka, welcome! I always enjoy reading your
travel articles. How did you wind up in Turkey and Miami? I also live in two
places, so I know the ups and downs of it.
Piegsa-Quischotte: I need the thrill of juxtapositions, but
another more mundane reason is that I hate the cold, so now I have the luxury
of being able to live in warmth and sunshine all year long. A new lifestyle
required a new place to live too, that’s why I bought a place on the Aegean Sea
in Turkey and another one in Miami. Two very different countries and cultures
with the added advantage that Turkey is my gateway to the East and Miami to the
South and West.
IMBO: How did you get started writing?
Piegsa-Quischotte: I have always written short stories and the
odd, very bad poem, but the more I travelled – finally with enough leisure to
discover the wonders of this world – the more I wanted to share my experiences
with others, which, in turn, led to travel writing. I haven’t abandoned fiction. I
have written two novels, one of which won Readers’s Favorite Award 2009 in its
category.
My writing
tries to combine information with fun, humour, extraordinary stories and
spellbinding places. Being in my 60s, I also want to encourage other women of
my age, to get off their behinds and see the world. Being an armchair traveller
is NO fun!! It also makes you fat.
IMBO: That’s quite a wide range. What don’t you write about?
Piegsa-Quischotte: I know, it’s all the rage and the most
successful travel writers write about it, but I do not like food! That may make
me unpopular, but I don’t care. I can’t cook and have no intention of learning
and if I could swallow a few pills instead of eating a meal, I would be the
first to do so. I have better things to do with my time than to chop carrots
and on top of it, I hate putting on weight. As far as I’m concerned, eating is
a necessity to stay alive and that’s as far as my interest goes.
IMBO: How has being an expat affected what, and the way, you write?
Piegsa-Quischotte: I think it hasn’t affected my way of writing at
all. I have never had or felt the need for ‘roots’. I’m always happy at the
favourite place of the moment and when it ceases to attract me, I just move on.
Of course, living the way I do, I have been able to experience in depth very
different cultures and feel confident to write about them.
Piegsa-Quischotte: Creativity, originality, curiosity. I can
listen endlessly to other people’s stories.
IMBO: Care to share some of your work with us?
Piegsa-Quischotte: I am in search of yet another country where
to pitch my tent and one of my favourite candidates is Morocco. That’s why I
travelled up and won the country and ended up in Fez which inspired this story:
Otherwise,
my articles and also my two novels as well as a small guide book to Galicia can
be found on the portfolio page of GlamourGranny Travels.
IMBO: You’ve just published a travel guide on
Turkey. What makes this travel guide different from all the others?
Piegsa-Quishotte: My guide book, Istanbul, City of the Green-eyed Beauty, is unconventional because
it combines Istanbul sites with literature. Not your usual 'what to do and
where to go' guide, Istanbul, City of the
Green-eyed Beauty follows three writers—Pierre Loti, Barbara Nadel and
Orhan Pamuk—whose stories all play out in different locations of Istanbul, some
very off the beaten path. I thought it would be fascinating to visit the places
mentioned in their books, and whilst I was doing so I decided to write a guide
book to 'accompany' these works of literature so others could enjoy what I
found. The 'hunt' was great fun. From the history of the brothels in Karaköy to
the cast iron church in Balat, I have included background information and
anecdotes—and of course many pictures.
The title is a reference to Pierre Loti's book Aziyade which describes his love affair with a Turkish married woman who lives in a harem. It is her green eyes looking out at him from behind the bars of a serail which first seduce him.
IMBO: Ever get homesick? Has your concept of home
changed since you’ve been an expat?
Piegsa-Quischotte: I can’t get home sick because I have no real
concept of ‘home’. Home is where my heart is at the moment.
IMBO: Inka, thank you for sharing your two worlds with the readers of I Must Be Off! All the best!
I must be off!
Christopher
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Inka piegsa-quischotte was born in Germany, went to boarding school in Switzerland and to university in Basel, Granada (Spain) and College of Law in London. She practised as an international attorney for 30 years in Germany, Spain and the UK. She currently lives between Miami and Didim and Istanbul (Turkey).
Christopher Allen writes fiction, creative non-fiction and of course this here blog. His work has appeared in numerous places both online and in print. Read more about him HERE.
Thanks very much for this interview. It was a pleasure to be your 'guest'.
ReplyDeleteSo great to learn more about Inka - I always enjoy her stories and share her love for both Turkey and Miami =) Dual expat? That's a new one! (but it fits...)
ReplyDeleteThere is no way that woman is 60!!!!!! Amazing. I am with Inka - on the food pill. What a fascinating life story.
ReplyDeleteGreat interview. I always enjoy reading Inka's stories and it's good to know a little more about her.
ReplyDeleteI love Inka's stories and follow her blog but oh no!! Not pills instead of a fabulous meal!! Maybe this is why I have a few extra pounds and she looks great!
ReplyDeleteInka is so awesome - i want to be her when I finally decide to grow up! :)
ReplyDelete"Home is where my heart is at the moment."
ReplyDeleteExactly! Great interview - it's nice to learn more about Inka, who has an obvious zest for life.
So interesting to learn more about Inka. I had no idea that she also had 2 published fiction books and about her attitude towards food - so that's her secret for staying so skinny :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for introducing Inka to me, Christopher. I'm sorry to say I haven't read her works, but that is about to change as a result of reading your interview. What an adventurous woman!
ReplyDelete