NEWS » Just! Magazine Interview
1 December 2005
Lunch at the Grand Hotel Tallinn
The Last Gentleman In The World?
Text: Anu Saagim
Photos: Eike Einmann
“Platonic girlfriends are the best! Relationships with them can go on for years!” knows the English writer Michael Wynne-Parker.
Michael: “The formula of happiness is simple.”
“Now I can offer my advice and say: never marry an older woman”.
Michael Wynne-Parkeris an English poet and writer who’s been living in Estonia already for some years. He has a marvellous apartment in the Old Town and he kindly promises to invite Just! over shortly. This time Michael and I stick to a gourmet lunch at the Meriton Grand Hotel restaurant.
I am amazed by this man from the very first moment! Such gentlemen with a capital G exist only in films and novels! Michael is extremely courteous and his English is just as perfect as, for example, in the film “Yes, Mr. Prime Minister”. Estonian men should learn from his behaviour and charm. Michael has just celebrated his 60 th birthday, but his youthfulness and glow belong to a 30-year-old. Recently his novel “Reflections in Middle Years” was published.
Just! is interested in the women in Michael’s life. They have included, for example, the late Queen Mother and Princess Diana.
Who are the important women in your life?
My daughters Sarah and Fiona. They are the love of my life.
You’ve been married twice…
The first time I got married at the age of 29. She was five years older than me. Now I can offer my advice and say: never marry an older woman. The man wants to be the leader but next to an older woman it is very complicated. Our marriage lasted for 18 years. When my wife proposed a divorce, I agreed. My theory is that if two people are unhappy together, they should rather be apart.
How did the daughters take their parents’ divorce?
They said that after the divorce their relationships improved with both parents.
When did you meet your second wife?
On the very day I divorced my first marriage. My friends and I had just returned from a foxhunt and gone to Annabel, a nightclub in London (one of the oldest and most famous nightclubs in London that looks like an office with bookshelves and that has been mentioned by many authors – A.S.). There was this extremely beautiful Iranian woman with black hair and I told my friends that if nobody asked her to dance in fifteen minutes, I would. That’s just what happened.
Michael: “I suggest that you read my book first.”
When did you exchange your marriage vows?
We were together five years and then decided to get married. But we divorced already two years later.
Why?
It was a futureless romance between a country boy and a city girl. I used to love, and still love fishing, hunting and rural life. She fancied nightclubs. I like to read serious literature and go to the opera; she used to listen to pop-music and read popular literature. What’s most important – I am a Christian, she was a Muslim. Today I believe that spouses should share the same religion.
Why do you think there are so many divorces nowadays?
Feminism is greatly the cause. The woman should look after home and the man should take care of finances. But feminism has destroyed the role of the man and introduced inequality into relationships. Now nobody knows their roles. The man used to be a hunter and bring home food. After all, nature knows better than we, humans do.
Have you had platonic lovers?
Yes, I have such relationships. Those are the best and can last for years. In such relationships there is no great longing for closeness. You can talk to your platonic girlfriend over the phone and that will satisfy your need. This is not physical love where it hurts not to be together with a person. Another good thing about platonic lovers is that they never dump you! But many people don’t understand that a man and a woman can simply have a platonic relationship.
Is it true that you used to be good friends with Princess Diana?
Yes, we both come from Norfolk. When Diana had difficult times, she found consolation in people who had the same roots.
Who are some of the most famous women you know?
Queen Elizabeth, Margaret Thatcher, Madonna, Joan Collins and Imelda Marcos.
What is the craziest thing you have ever done for a woman?
I climbed down from a second-floor window to fetch a flower bunch that had accidentally fallen out of the window.
Where do you see more short skirts – in Estonia or England?
In Tallinn in the summer and in London in the winter. When it is winter in Estonia, women hide their legs in fur coats.
What do you think of the English bachelor parties that have become notorious here in Estonia?
We are not proud of those people. Usually they are neither well-educated nor well-paid English men who come to Estonia and feel like gods. That is quite awful. One Sunday morning, on my way to church, I saw a totally drunk Englishman swaying down my street. He did not have his underpants on and the police arrested him. I was so ashamed. What was this man going to say to his wife?
You recently released your novel “Reflections in Middle Years”. What’s it about?
I philosophise over the meaning of life. I am trying to answer the question whether a person can be entirely happy, and I’ve even put some verses in it.
Michael’s book came out exactly for his 60th Birthday.
Does your novel contain the formula of happiness?
I suggest that you read my book first. Perhaps you’ll find a clue.