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| In search of ancient roots of Mediterranean life |
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| Monday, 10 December 2007 | |
 ‘The Olive Route’ by Carol Drinkwater, published in hardback in 2006 and paperback in 2007 by Weidenfeld & Nicholson ISBN-10 0752881396 Author and TV actress Carol Drinkwater tells Sue Barber about her fascination with the tradition of olive growing
Carol Drinkwater’s latest
book is a follow-up
to the best-selling
autobiographical trilogy ‘A
Celebration of Olives’. It is
the chronicle of her solo
expedition in search of the
historical roots of the olive
tree. Rarely lingering in
tourist haunts, she ventures
deep into the heart and
ancient history of the olivegrowing
countries bordering
the eastern Mediterranean. “If Gadafi goes, I shall be on the next plane,” Carol said. “In fact, I would like to do the entire journey again. If I did it a hundred times, it would always be different. I have potent memories of everywhere I went.” Last on her itinerary was Israel. “It was new to me and rather shocking. Palestine was beautiful but heartbreaking. Religion and politics are very much part of the journey, but the earth, the people and the topography are what I’m more interested in. If I had my time over again, maybe I’d have been an anthropologist or something like that.” The historical background to the book is meticulously researched. The characters, both past and present, are vividly portrayed. This is a fascinating account, a travel book with a difference, written with passion and commitment. Carol is currently preparing the second volume of her quest in which she visits the Western Mediterranean countries. “The best gift I’ve given myself in my life is to write these two books,” she confessed. As an actress, she is best known for her role in the BBC television series ‘All Creatures Great and Small’. But she is also the author of several books and besides the olive route sequel is gearing up for a historical epic.  TV viewers will remember her role in the BBC series ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ but Carol Drinkwater is also a bestselling author I visited Carol at the olive farm in the South of France where she lives with her husband, television producer Michel Noll. We sat under a giant magnolia tree with our glasses of wine gazing down over the terraces of olives trees. “The fruits are about to drop,” she observed. Carol has always been determined their oil should be organic but it is hard to maintain the status when black fly attacks the drupes (over-ripe olives). Chemical sprays have to be used if they are to be saved: “For the time being, I’m having to face the fact that no one has produced an alternative that makes sense.” Her favourite writers? “I like South American and Latin writers because they have passion and take imagery to another level of reality. I particularly like Marguerite Duras and Isabelle Allende, for their great emotional depth. And Lorca, the Spanish poet.” A solo traveller since her early 20s, Carol has experienced many other cultures; she is also an optimist: “I’m a great believer in looking at the positive side and I think we have the power to change things, but people aren’t taking climate change seriously enough. In the country we can see the effects on the cycles of nature. I am very aware of it. As far as olive farming is concerned, there is a danger of it becoming more industrialised. However, I found that in Algeria and Italy there are moves towards increasing quality and looking at the responsibility we have towards the earth.” “Will I continue writing for the rest of my days? I hope so,” she says smiling and disappearing into the house to continue work on her manuscript. I left with a litre of the smoothest olive oil I have ever tasted. |
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