Ponte con l’altra parte dell’oceano, Sergio Bambarén, scrittore peruviano naturalizzato australiano, ha scritto decine di romanzi dedicati al mare, sempre legati al suo costante sforzo di preservare gli oceani e le creature che li abitano. La sua opera più celebre, ‘Il Delfino’, è stata tradotta in 40 lingue del mondo. E’ vice presidente dell’Organizzazione ecologica Mundo Azul – Blue World.
IN OCCASIONE DEL PREMIO – INTERVISTATO DA GENTLEMAN – MARZO 2018
Dear Mr Bambarèn, you’ve been travelling a lot, for study, work and for your passion of surfing, which is the country and the place you loved the most and why?
I guess every country has its own and unique beauty. As for me, beauty is in the eye of the beholder; if you travel to any country with a positive attitude, you will always find some place or corner that will warm your heart and soul. If you ask me for specific countries or places, not necessarily in order, I would return to Australia for its vastness, its shining colours, it´s green emerald oceans, and it´s unique fauna and flora. I will always return to Italy, for it is the most romantic country I have ever been to: love is always on the air. I would return to Tonga, South Pacific Islands where you can swim with humpback whales for days. Places that have taken my breath away: Mount Saint Michel in Northern France, with the biggest tides in the world; Macchu Picchu, in the jungles of Peru, a magic place where the energy is so strong that you can feel it; and a place to surf: Jeffrey´s Bay, in South Africa.
Guincho beach in Portugal inspired your first bestseller, The Dolphin, do you have other special places, any beaches?
I´ve circled the world in search of the perfect wave. I have been one of the lucky ones. Guincho in the coasts of Lisbon will always be in my heart, for it changed my life forever, and gave me the inspiration to write my first book “The Dolphin”. Another place I would return always is Bali, with it´s majestic temples and wonderful waves. And if there is one `place I finally call home, it would be “The House of Light,” in the border between Peru and Ecuador, a still secret place where you can walk alone for miles and miles of pristine beaches, while wild animals roam freely, and the most beautiful sunsets I have ever witnessed caress my soul. A place where I feel I belong , to be at peace with myself.
And which is the one you’re longing to visit?
It´s not a place. It´s an amazing human being: my only son, Daniel, who always teaches me the secrets of a young soul, and the purity of a naïve heart. When I am with him, I become a child once more. Life turns simple, once again. And we enjoy the simple things of life, the ones that. Though we talk on the phone every day, I cannot wait to go back and hug him. I miss him so much!
Who is your favourite writer and what is your favourite novel?
Kahlil Gibran, “The Prophet” A timeless novel that was written before its time.
Which is the latest book you have read?
I will be totally sincere. I was an avid reader all my life, but since I started to write, I took the decision not to read anymore, so my work would never be influenced by any other writer. A difficult decision, for sure. But I feel comfortable this way.
You’re vice president of Mundo Azul, a Peruvian Organization for the preservation of coastal marine ecosystems, why did you choose to support marine and environmental conservation?
I have lived more in the ocean than out of it. And it gives me so much sadness to see how we are destroying the sea, and the animals that live in it. We are poisoning their home, and destroying it. Someone has to do something. So I decided to make a small difference. Hop that will change, soon.
After writing and surfing which other passions do you have?
Living life to the fullest, helping those who were not as lucky as me, talking with the animals, and listening to them. Traveling everywhere, for there is nothing better than to see the truth that is, with your own eyes. Falling in love with life every day, me and my son teaching each other what life is all about, having the time to smell the roses, and much more. Having a coffee, and watching the world pass by.
You were born in Perù, attended college in the United States, worked in Australia and right now you turn back to Lima. Could you say one thing you liked about living in each country?
I will always thank Peru, the country that saw me arrive to this world, a place where I discovered the ocean, a place where life gave me two amazing parents, a place of life-time friends, and memories of a wonderful childhood. The United States gave me the first view of a huge world that I didn´t know, but knew had to travel all around it. Australia gave me the serendipity of a place where Nature reigns free, a place where I learnt to be with myself, with Nature, and the vastness of its wilderness. A place where silence suddenly turns into music…
Sergio Bambarén, March 2018.
Nato in Perù e naturalizzato australiano, si stabilisce in Australia dove lavora per molti anni come top manager per una multinazionale. Ma in Portogallo l’incontro ravvicinato con un delfino nella meravigliosa spiaggia di Guinchon gli ispira il suo primo romanzo di grande successo “Il Delfino” best-seller da 11 milioni di copie tradotto in tutto il mondo in 40 lingue e dialetti.
