Originally a poet, Irene has written two poetry
collections but this is her debut novel which affirms her strong connection
with Portugal.
The author splits her time between Estonia and Lisbon,
often spending the summer months in Estonia. From our conversation, it was
clear to see that Irene has a special connection with Portugal as she proudly
told me “It is where my heart belongs”.
Irene first visited Lisbon back in 2002 which inspired
the writing of “Commander João G”, she explained that “I didn’t know anything
about Portugal then but by chance I met a Portuguese guy in a café in the
capital of Estonia and he invited me to Portugal.”
“We fell in love and I lived in Lisbon for a couple of
years and then moved back to Estonia but I could not shake Portugal so I would
keep coming back for months at a time. About 10 years ago, the story came to
me, which is based on the group of friends I met whilst I lived in Lisbon.”
Irene shared that “If you put it simply, it is a story
of three Portuguese guys going to Estonia, they want to explore and see Estonia
because they have heard that the most beautiful women in the world live in
Estonia but if you look beneath the surface, it is a story about differences
between nationalities and countries and possible tensions between people.”
“In Estonia we have a big Russian population and I discuss the reasons for the tensions between Estonians and Russians, there is a huge fear in Estonia that we might be next following the war in Ukraine.”
Synopsis
Irene kindly shared a synopsis which reads: “You have
to understand that it was not my intention to become “an extremist” in the
beginning. Like I told you, I just wanted to find my ideal woman, my Baltic
Bride. Why Baltic, you ask. Well, because my colleague Carlos, head of another
department in my ministry, said that the most beautiful women in the world live
in Estonia.”
“As I understand it, extremism means violence and is the same as terrorism, and when you look at me, what do you see? A simple Portuguese man, middle-aged, with a slightly bulging belly and a slightly balding head, but still reasonably handsome, with a good butt (many women have said so!) and a nice smile. The friends of my sister (whom I have all dated, by the way) even say that I’m very handsome. But I don’t like to boast. Let’s say that I’m medium-handsome. An extremist, a terrorist, head man of the group that was planning coup d’état? That’s what all the papers of Estonia called me before the trial – no doubt with an intent to influence it!”
Polar Opposites
We also discussed how Portugal and Estonia differ, which is a main topic discussed in the book. Irene affirms that “Portugal and Estonia are very different countries, with the main difference being the cold Estonian weather versus the warm Portuguese climate.” Irene wished to stress that “Portuguese people are very welcoming to foreigners and that she has never felt unwelcome here.” Adding that “Estonian people by comparison are suspicious of foreigners, eventually warming to people but it can take even years to become friends. As a tourist you won’t notice this but if you come to live in Estonia people do want to get to know you before they become your friends but the Portuguese people become your friend instantly, taking you as you are which is what I really love about Portugal.”
Dedicated to Julia
We also spoke about juggling writing and motherhood,
which I thought was particularly inspiring. Irene has three daughters, Julia
aged 10, Aurora aged 7 and Estrella who is 2. Irene admitted that “Trying to
find the time was most difficult and I would often put my kids to bed and start
typing”. Adding that “My husband Inno was an enormous help to me while writing
the book. Many times, he put the kids to bed and played with them so I could
write in peace.”
Irene started writing this book when she was pregnant
with Julia and she told me that is has taken her 10 years to complete because
her daughter was very sick “Julia has a very rare genetic syndrome, called
Angelman Syndrome, often having epilepsy fits so I paused writing the book so
it is a total dream come true that my book is out now.” Irene dedicated her
book to Julia, “she is the source of my inspiration and strength to write this
book because I wanted to bring her to Portugal”. Most positively, Julia is
doing much better which Irene believes is down to the Portuguese climate and
food.
Most excitingly, Irene will be present at The Lisbon
Book Fair, running from the 25th of August until 11th of September so if you
would like to meet the author, please do come along for her presentation on the
3rd of September at 5pm. Irene also revealed that she plans to write a sequel
which includes the same characters but focuses on the theme of war, and how it
influences people.
If you would like to purchase a copy of
“Commander João G”, please visit FNAC or see https://www.livrariaatlantico.com/autor/irene-starland
or https://www.amazon.com/-/es/Irene-Starland-ebook/dp/B09SH8Q627
Following undertaking her university degree in English with American Literature in the UK, Cristina da Costa Brookes moved back to Portugal to pursue a career in Journalism, where she has worked at The Portugal News for 3 years. Cristina’s passion lies with Arts & Culture as well as sharing all important community-related news.
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