Popular UK author Victoria Hislop granted Greek citizenship

ATHENS, Greece — British author Victoria Hislop was granted honorary Greek citizenship Thursday and met with the prime minister of Greece.

Hislop has used Greece as the setting for several of her novels. In her first book, “The Island,” published in 2005, the action takes place near the Greek island of Crete, where she has a holiday home. Her most recent, “Those Who Are Loved,” is set in Athens and on Greek islands.

Honorary Greek citizenship may be granted in recognition of an individual’s special contribution to the country. Actor Tom Hanks and his wife, actor and producer Rita Wilson, were given the honour last year for their support in raising money for victims of a deadly Greek wildfire. The couple received Greek passports this year.

Hislop, 61, was officially sworn in as a Greek citizen in Athens on Thursday. She said she was honoured by the gesture.

“I love Greece with all its problems and difficulties, not just because it’s a beautiful country,” she said at her meeting with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Hislop said she had already framed a copy of her naturalization certificate that was sent to her home in England.

“That’s already up on my wall,” she said. “But now I have the original.”

The Associated Press