The bestselling author Douglas Kennedy, who has written three travel books and almost a dozen works of fiction, and been published in 22 countries, is currently touring with his new novel, Five Days. We caught up with him in Marrakech where he was judging Le Prix de la Mamounia, a literary award for Moroccans writing in French.
How often do you go on holiday?I insist on taking myself out of the world three times a year. I turn off the computer and the only people who I will answer my mobile phone to is my children, Max, who's in college in the States, and my daughter Emilia, who's about to start at drama college.
Where do you call home?
Home is many places. Legally, it is between New York and Maine. But, for the last 33 years, I have been an expatriate, living first in Dublin then London, Berlin and Paris. I still have places in Paris, Berlin and London. I recently remarried and my wife is based in Montreal and I am there a lot. So the answer to the question is that I live in transit.Where was your last holiday?
I went to Costa Rica on a book tour, which was exciting. The last holiday, though, was in Greece. I stayed at a pension, Kas de la Rosa. It's a small place, very Mediterranean, very designer. It's great for cycling and you only have to walk out of the door and you virtually fall into the water.
What do you think of Morocco?I have been there 11 times now and I love it. Hotel La Mamounia is mythical. When I am here, I feel as though I'm in a Somerset Maugham novel. I can picture Churchill sitting in the garden doing his painting as he did in the 1930s. There is still an ambience of the wagon-lit. I love it because I am a traveller. I sell a huge number of books in France and I was asked to be a judge for Le Prix de La Mamounia literary award. The shortlisted books this year are interesting in that they all deal with the authors' relationships with their mother country and they are all struggling with the same question: shall I stay or shall I go?
Where do you plan to go next?
I have been to 55 countries and am still counting. I have book tours later this year in Beirut and Korea. And in 2014, I have trips organised for Belize, Cambodia, Vietnam and Alaska.Have you ever been to the UAE?I was in Dubai more than 20 years ago. I think I would find it very different now, though. In 1990, it was no more than a creek. I am more familiar with other places in the Middle East. I lived in Egypt for a while and my first book, published in 1988, was a travel book, Beyond the Pyramids.
What do you love about travel?
It gets you out of the quotidian - and all that that implies. I am someone who asks a lot of questions, it's in my blood. I am interested in the lives of others you intersect with. And you discover, when you travel, that no matter what the huge social, economic and religious differences are, the dilemmas of the human character remain the same. What do you hate about travel?
Airport security. I've never been good at queuing even though I recognise that it's necessary.
Do you prefer simplicity or luxury?I can do both. If I am on my own, I tend to travel simply but if I end up somewhere luxurious, I enjoy that too. But if it is a luxury hotel, it needs to be indicative of the local culture and have a sense of place. I don't like international five-star hotels that could be anywhere and you feel locked away from what is going on outside.
What has been your favourite trip?
That's easy - it was the trip that changed my life. In 1991, I drove 5,000 kilometres from Darwin to Perth. It takes you across the biggest nowhere in the world. I came to a village that had an asbestos plant and the government closed it down. In doing so, the whole village was written off. But 50 people stayed and that's when I had my idea for a novel. That trip was the start of my career.
Do you like to travel light?
I try to. If I am on my own, it is easy to do, but so much of my travelling involves book tours, or like this, judging an award, and you can't travel light because you need a suit. This time, I had to bring seven novels with me - and they are not light. What is your favourite city for a weekend?I love dense cultural weekends and in London, I can fit in four plays, three classical concerts and several art galleries in one weekend.
What do you never travel without?
A notebook and a fountain pen.Which hotel has the greatest views?Ink48 in New York City. If you get a room on the ninth floor facing east, you wake up to the skyline of my hometown, Manhattan, and what a privilege that is.What is your idea of a perfect weekend?It would be with my wife Christine and be somewhere out of touch with daily life where I can walk along a beach, hike or slip on a pair of skis and disappear down a long piste.
Where is your most romantic place?
Every February, I go to The Post Hotel in the Canadian Rockies to write. It is 1,800 metres up, is beside a lake and it is so peaceful, I love it. I can put on my skis and disappear for the day.
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What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The schedule
December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club
December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq
December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm
December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition
December 13: Falcon beauty competition
December 14 and 20: Saluki races
December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm
December 16 - 19: Falconry competition
December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am
December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am
December 22: The best herd of 30 camels
More on Quran memorisation:
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Uefa Champions League last 16 draw
Juventus v Tottenham Hotspur
Basel v Manchester City
Sevilla v Manchester United
Porto v Liverpool
Real Madrid v Paris Saint-Germain
Shakhtar Donetsk v Roma
Chelsea v Barcelona
Bayern Munich v Besiktas
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
The 10 Questions
- Is there a God?
- How did it all begin?
- What is inside a black hole?
- Can we predict the future?
- Is time travel possible?
- Will we survive on Earth?
- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
- Should we colonise space?
- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
- How do we shape the future?
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Company profile
Name: GiftBag.ae
Based: Dubai
Founded: 2011
Number of employees: 4
Sector: E-commerce
Funding: Self-funded to date
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
Third Test
Day 3, stumps
India 443-7 (d) & 54-5 (27 ov)
Australia 151
India lead by 346 runs with 5 wickets remaining
Company info
Company name: Entrupy
Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist
Based: New York, New York
Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.
Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius.
Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
