Writers Abroad Magazine Issue 7 November 2017 | Page 18

WRITERS ABROAD MAGAZINE: THE THIRD SPACE
…TO THERE
FEATURING Richard Miller
What brought you to Belgium, when and
from where?
It all started with a conversation in a pub in
Brighton somewhere in the vicinity of 1995. I
was working in a bank and my wife was
working in local government. We were both
bored out of our socks. We struck a deal. First one to find a new job, that's where
we'd move.
What are the advantages of living in Belgium for a writer?
There are many wonderful aspects of Flanders but perhaps the best is the
network of cycling paths. Not only is it incredibly extensive, it's possible to cycle
from our front door to Denmark on dedicated cycle paths, but it's safe and
relatively flat as long as you don't head east. The countryside is a web of canals,
rivers, streams and ponds populated with entertaining wildlife and the occasional
militant goose.
Has your writing output increased since you came to Belgium?
Given that I didn't write anything beyond the odd postcard before, the answer
has to be 'yes', but it's more to do with time of life rather than location. Although,
finding a good neighbourhood in Leuven with instant access to a great public
transport system has made it possible to drive our cost of living down quite low
and brought forward my writing career by about five years.
Is there anything you find hard to cope with in Belgium?
Not really, although it is hard to understand why there's a need for three layers
of government in a country with a population of 10 million. There are around 37
cities in the world with more people. The political landscape is fractured along
the various shades of left and right and then fractured again by language. All
governments must have at least one French speaking and one Flemish speaking
party participating but, it seems, ideology matters less than language. It
sometimes feels like the parties would prefer to cooperate with their ideological
opposites within the same language rather than leap across the language divide
towards shared ideology. Progress becomes difficult as politicians wrestle within
an enormous web of political parties. After the June election of 2010, it took them
589 days to form a government. It must be said that very few ordinary people
noticed.
What impact did Belgium have on you emotionally, sensorially or
intellectually and did you incorporate this into your writing?
Sensorially, the early morning bike rides have been a godsend. After a lifetime
working in offices it's given me a chance to ge t back in tune with nature and
develop a broader perspective. Intellectually and emotionally, I'm not sure if it's
had an impact. Being a contrary cuss, I'd have probably turned out the way I did
regardless of environment.
17 | NOVEMBER 2017