Featured Interview With Elene Catrakilis
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in South Africa, the only child of Greek-Cypriot immigrants who were very
protective and I wasn’t allowed to roam as freely as other children. Although my parents worked
seven days a week, they took a few hours off on a Sunday, precious times filled with long
lunches, food and laughter, and relatives who told stories from their youth in another land, far
away. So I grew up between two languages, Greek at home, and English everywhere else. I
absorbed these languages simultaneously. I didn’t know then that this quiet tug of war between
languages is a gift, and that holding more than one culture inside teaches you early to see
things from a different perspective. I now make my home in a leafy Atlanta suburb where the
seasons shift gently and the neighbors are kind and friendly. I share this corner of the world with
my husband and enjoy regular visits from our adult children. I’ve lived in Atlanta for over twenty
years and although I have pieces of my heart in three other countries, I never take it for granted
how fortunate I am to call this beautiful country home.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
As an only child, I had to figure out ways to entertain myself quietly at home. Imagination
became my playground, and the characters in books stepped in as my companions. I became a
voracious reader around the age of eight, and by ten I was completely lost to books. Other
children went on vacations with their parents to the seaside but my parents’ business had to
stay open. So I traveled the only way I could: through stories. I went to England often, in my
imagination, joining Enid Blyton’s characters in The Famous Five and Malory Towers, chasing
adventures and midnight feasts. Although I had teachers who had encouraged me to pursue
writing, it didn’t happen early. As the child of immigrants, I had three choices as a career path:
doctor, lawyer, or accountant. Blood made me squeamish and math was not my strength. I had
no alternative but to follow law. However, when I came to live in America with my husband, the
experience of leaving behind everything familiar stirred something inside me. Writing became a
quiet way to process it all. That’s when the urge to write found me and never let go.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I grew up on the works of Charles Dickens such as David Copperfield and Great
Expectations, drawn to the emotional intimacy, vivid settings, and unforgettable characters. And
of course, the fairy tales I devoured as a child made me long for faraway places and magical
endings. Little Women left its mark too, with its strong family values and emotional warmth. As
an adult, I’ve been moved by Carlos Ruiz Zafón especially with his Shadow of the Wind and the
haunting atmosphere he creates in the city of Barcelona; and by Khaled Hosseini in The Kite
Runner where he so powerfully shows how history shapes lives. Writers like Elizabeth
Strout, Helen Simonson, and Julia Glass amaze me with how clearly they draw characters who
feel like people I know. I also admire Jojo Moyes for the emotional pull of her stories and
characters that linger long after the final page. And then there’s Jhumpa Lahiri, in a league of
her own. Her spare, precise prose is something I deeply admire. She conveys so much with so
little, especially around identity and belonging. It’s hard for me to pick just one favorite genre,
but if I must, I would say character-driven literary fiction and then within that category, the sub-
genre of twentieth century historical fiction where history and heart are interwoven as in the
work of Khaled Hosseini.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My debut novel Under an African Sky is a story close to my heart because it’s set in South
Africa, the country of my birth. In 1989, South Africa was a deeply divided country on the brink
of change. As apartheid began to unravel, South Africa teetered between hope and unrest. My
story follows two women from different backgrounds, a Greek-Cypriot immigrant and her
housekeeper, a local South African. They share a quiet bond but their friendship and dreams for
their children are tested to breaking point by social and political turmoil. Two ordinary women
must navigate their way through extraordinary times. Into this fractured world, a priest from
Sofia’s past arrives from a remote Greek monastery and tries to hold the pieces together. I lived
in South Africa during those years, and I remember the strange mix of fear and hope in the air.
At the time, Mandela’s release was imminent but no one knew for sure what the future would
hold. Looking back, I’m struck by how that sense of uncertainty is exactly what people around
the world are experiencing today. Under an African Sky offers a glimpse of how hope can
emerge even in turbulent times. It’s a story about friendship, family, forgiveness and the fragile,
resilient threads that connect us even as the world around us unravels.
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