AT THE HEART OF ISLAND LIFE
Author Anna Nicholas : 30 Years of Writing Mallorca
On Crime Fiction, Folklore and the Mysteries of the Island
Anna Nicholas has spent three decades capturing the beauty, humour and quiet eccentricities of life in Mallorca. Best known for her bestselling memoirs about swapping London life for a Mallorcan finca in the Sóller valley, she has become one of the island’s most recognisable literary voices, writing about the traditions and characters that make Mallorca so unique with affection and wit. Alongside her books, Anna has written for publications including the Financial Times, The Telegraph, Tatler and Wanderlust, and more recently has turned to Mallorcan-set crime fiction with her popular Isabel Flores Montserrat mystery series.
By Lucy Hawkins
20/05/26
I visited Anna at her beautiful home in Sóller the day after the Sa Fira fiesta, with banners still fluttering through the streets and cafés full of locals recovering from the celebrations. Anna and her charming husband, Alan, were wonderfully welcoming hosts as their cats wandered in and out of the house, and I left with a deeper appreciation of local folklore and traditions, and half a dozen fresh eggs from her chickens, a perfectly Mallorcan ending to the afternoon.
You've lived in Mallorca for 30 years now, what first drew you to the island?
My sister had an au pair named Sari who lived in Fornalutx, and we all adopted her as a member of the family. Sari was forever telling Alan and me that Mallorca was the most beautiful place in the world. She urged us to come, saying it was a veritable paradise.
At the time Richard Branson's hotel wasn't as expensive as it is now and luckily, we could afford to stay there. It was wonderfully eccentric and fun in those days. There were little rubber ducks in the bathrooms, no mini fridges. It was so authentic and we loved it.
Richard Branson had rubber ducks in his hotel’s bathrooms?
Yes, every bathroom had rubber ducks. Happily, I met Sir Richard quite recently at his new hotel and reminded him about the ducks. But he told me that for environmental reasons, hotels couldn’t really use them anymore which is a bit disappointing. Anyway, we had a laugh about it.
You and your husband stumbled across your finca by chance and instantly fell in love with it, although it was barely habitable?
The architect told us you can't do anything to the house until you get planning permission which would be at least a year. So, frustratingly, we couldn't live there and we couldn't do anything up because it had a planning order on it. And so the roof was open and water came in during bad weather. We had no gates and crumbling walls so young locals would come up to the finca for a bit of nookie in the front yard.
We actually caught a few. It was hilarious. One day we were up here and, it was still in a terrible state, but we could just about camp here and I heard a car rolling up with these two young people inside. I shone a torch on them and they were very startled. Probably thought we were ghosts and they went skedaddling off.
So how long did it take to renovate?
Oh my gosh, probably two and a half years. It was in a really bad state. At the beginning I was going back to London every week for meetings, it was just when EasyJet had started.
That was 30 years ago, how has Sóller changed?
It’s like a different place in some ways. It still retains a lot of its traditions and what I call a fantastic ‘bloody-mindedness’ - this feeling of, ‘We are Sollerics and we will always be Sollerics.’ I think that comes from the valley’s history of isolation before the tunnel.
(For centuries, Sóller was effectively cut off from the rest of Mallorca by the Tramuntana mountains - accessible only by a long winding mountain road or the historic train — and even after the tunnel opened in 1997, many locals still felt the valley retained its own distinct identity and sense of independence.)
Last night at El Firó, the pride of the local Sollerics was incredible. There were people in tears singing La Balanguera, the Balearic anthem, which was really moving.
Still, when I go into town now, I sometimes think about how it has changed. The plethora of restaurants, cafés and international food just didn’t exist before. Some of the old family businesses we loved have disappeared and become tourist shops instead, and that hurts.
At the same time, I try not to be completely negative about change. We’ve got some wonderful bakeries and first-rate restaurants now too. My worry is that Sóller is in danger of becoming a theme park. Carrer de sa Lluna used to be full of practical shops for locals, whereas now so much is geared towards tourism.
It’s understandable because Sóller has become one of the most photographed and social media-driven towns on the island, with the tram, the mountains, the sea, the oranges and lemons - of course people want to come. But if the town loses too much authenticity, and disillusioned Sollerics leave, many driven out by spiralling costs, then eventually even visitors will start asking, ‘Where are the locals?’
You were awarded the prestigious Siurell de plata in 2017 by the Balearic Government for your promotion of Mallorcan values, culture and traditions. How did that come about?
Out of the blue a hotelier approached me and put me forward for it because he said I do so much to promote the island. It was so nice, but I honestly didn't think anything of it, because a lot of people put in bids.
And then I was contacted officially and told I’d won an award. I was so pleased to be the first Briton to receive one, it was a real honour.
You must feel completely accepted.
Yes, I do. I mean, whatever I say about Sóller and how it has changed to a degree, last night, again - attending the Firó - made me remember why I love living here. The community is so strong, it's the most important thing for me.
What inspired your move from travel writing and memoir into crime fiction?
For a long time, I'd written the travel series, which is quite vintage now, but I had an idea for a fiction series about sleuth Isabel and her ferret solving crime. The urge to write it got stronger and stronger. In the end, I was dreaming up dialogues and scenarios at night, and I thought I've got to put this down.
How do you balance writing honestly about the island while still protecting the people and places you love?
That's a really tricky one. With my journalistic articles I’ll be honest, and at times have mentioned interesting places but received backlash from readers who don’t want other people to know about unique spots on the island.
So it was readers rather than the locals who were trying to protect the space. And I get that, but you know you can't take something and claim it as your own and say other people can't enjoy it as well. I always think it's like a multi-millionaire having a beautiful Rodin and saying, ‘I'm going to have it in our house, no one else can see it.’
I don't like that. I think art should be shared and I think places should be shared. We don't have a right to stop people going somewhere. However, if there is a particular beach, cove or perhaps a woodland, that I know is just for locals, I would never write about it, and I do know places like that.
But in the main, most people can find things on the internet. It's not like you're giving away a big secret. I will mention something very funny though. When I first started my travel book series, I gave false names for people in the town because I wanted to protect their identity and not cause offence.
And then one day I went in to see my friend, Javier, who ran Colmado Sa Lluna. And he asked me why I didn’t mention his name and I explained that it was to protect him, but he said, ‘From what? I want people to come into the shop!’
So, after that, I had a change of heart and began mentioning people's real names.
Why do you think Mallorca works so well as a backdrop for mystery novels?
I think it's so atmospheric. There are so many different kinds of terrains on the island. You've got the dramatic landscape of the Tramuntanas, secret coves and mysterious caves. And then there are parts of the Tramuntanas that are really wild. They're like wastelands and you can see how people get lost or never found, as one poor female British visitor once did. There are a lot of sinkholes that can easily swallow you up, below which are deep caverns. It can be very dangerous.
I've done a lot of mountain climbing – there are 54 ‘miles’ (peaks) - they're the 1,000 meter plus mountains on the island. I've done 52 so have two left. But unfortunately, they're the hardest. One is Puig Mayor, which you're not allowed to climb, and then the final one is Frare, which is horrible. It's like a needle, and you have to go with ropes up there which isn’t quite me.
But I think the landscape is so dramatic here it just lends itself to crime.
Are there darker sides of island life that crime fiction allows you to explore more freely?
Yes, I think so. There’s a huge amount of ancient legends in Mallorca, folklore, like the Rondalles Mallorquines. They are the fairy tales of the island that were written way back. And some of them are so creepy and scary.
And what about María Enganxa who pulls you down wells into her water world if you look over the edge? The story was written to stop local children exploring uncovered wells in the fields back in the day.
There's a lovely little museum, Casa Museu Pare Ginard in Sant Joan. Pare Ginard was a priest, folklorist and collector of Mallorcan oral traditions, songs and stories, and you can visit his little house museum which is gorgeous.
And when you walk through a village in the dead of night, through the cobbled alleys, it's actually quite spooky. It makes the perfect setting for crime fiction.
On Crime Fiction, Folklore and the Mysteries of the Island
Anna Nicholas has spent three decades capturing the beauty, humour and quiet eccentricities of life in Mallorca. Best known for her bestselling memoirs about swapping London life for a Mallorcan finca in the Sóller valley, she has become one of the island’s most recognisable literary voices, writing about the traditions and characters that make Mallorca so unique with affection and wit. Alongside her books, Anna has written for publications including the Financial Times, The Telegraph, Tatler and Wanderlust, and more recently has turned to Mallorcan-set crime fiction with her popular Isabel Flores Montserrat mystery series.
What inspired your move from travel writing and memoir into crime fiction?
For a long time, I'd written the travel series, which is quite vintage now, but I had an idea for a fiction series about sleuth Isabel and her ferret solving crime. The urge to write it got stronger and stronger. In the end, I was dreaming up dialogues and scenarios at night, and I thought I've got to put this down.
How do you balance writing honestly about the island while still protecting the people and places you love?
That's a really tricky one. With my journalistic articles I’ll be honest, and at times have mentioned interesting places but received backlash from readers who don’t want other people to know about unique spots on the island.
So it was readers rather than the locals who were trying to protect the space. And I get that, but you know you can't take something and claim it as your own and say other people can't enjoy it as well. I always think it's like a multi-millionaire having a beautiful Rodin and saying, ‘I'm going to have it in our house, no one else can see it.’
I don't like that. I think art should be shared and I think places should be shared. We don't have a right to stop people going somewhere. However, if there is a particular beach, cove or perhaps a woodland, that I know is just for locals, I would never write about it, and I do know places like that.
But in the main, most people can find things on the internet. It's not like you're giving away a big secret. I will mention something very funny though. When I first started my travel book series, I gave false names for people in the town because I wanted to protect their identity and not cause offence.
And then one day I went in to see my friend, Javier, who ran Colmado Sa Lluna. And he asked me why I didn’t mention his name and I explained that it was to protect him, but he said, ‘From what? I want people to come into the shop!’
So, after that, I had a change of heart and began mentioning people's real names.
Why do you think Mallorca works so well as a backdrop for mystery novels?
I think it's so atmospheric. There are so many different kinds of terrains on the island. You've got the dramatic landscape of the Tramuntanas, secret coves and mysterious caves. And then there are parts of the Tramuntanas that are really wild. They're like wastelands and you can see how people get lost or never found, as one poor female British visitor once did. There are a lot of sinkholes that can easily swallow you up, below which are deep caverns. It can be very dangerous.
I've done a lot of mountain climbing – there are 54 ‘miles’ (peaks) - they're the 1,000 meter plus mountains on the island. I've done 52 so have two left. But unfortunately, they're the hardest. One is Puig Mayor, which you're not allowed to climb, and then the final one is Frare, which is horrible. It's like a needle, and you have to go with ropes up there which isn’t quite me.
But I think the landscape is so dramatic here it just lends itself to crime.
Are there darker sides of island life that crime fiction allows you to explore more freely?
Yes, I think so. There’s a huge amount of ancient legends in Mallorca, folklore, like the Rondalles Mallorquines. They are the fairy tales of the island that were written way back. And some of them are so creepy and scary.
And what about María Enganxa who pulls you down wells into her water world if you look over the edge? The story was written to stop local children exploring uncovered wells in the fields back in the day.
There's a lovely little museum, Casa Museu Pare Ginard in Sant Joan. Pare Ginard was a priest, folklorist and collector of Mallorcan oral traditions, songs and stories, and you can visit his little house museum which is gorgeous.
And when you walk through a village in the dead of night, through the cobbled alleys, it's actually quite spooky. It makes the perfect setting for crime fiction.
The fifth novel in your Isabel Flores Mallorcan Mystery crime series, ‘White Hot Moon’, is due out in December, can you tell us about it?
It’s centred around fire. On one level, there’s a series of mysterious fires in Sant Martí and the surrounding area, seemingly started by an arsonist and apparently targeting certain people. But on a larger scale there are wildfires breaking out too, again, possibly arson.
There are also some uncanny deaths connected to the story, including the brother of a fireman who dies in a small hut on family land. Was the fire started by someone else, or was it a tragic accident? Then there are some female deaths, and you start wondering what possible connection they could have to it all — if any.
I tend to like twin threads running through my books, and interestingly the next novel, the sixth one, has a water theme - though that wasn’t intentional. I didn’t plan to follow fire with water. Of course, fire is an important topic here on the island. But also, it is an unpleasant subject and one I hesitated writing about. I certainly don’t want to encourage future arsonists. There have been some seriously bad fires over the years that have devastated wildlife. With this book, I wanted to make the plot more personal, but still affecting firemen.
The husband of one of my experienced mountain guides is a fire captain, so luckily, I spent a day with him, talking about how they train, what they do, the application process, and the different aspects of the fire service. I like to carry out detailed research for my books, not just write things off the top of my head. All the same, the book will be a work of fiction, even if I do choose to include some information from my contact.
Are there still stories about the island you feel you haven't told yet?
Yes, most definitely. I'm very excited about the sixth one. It's not very cheerful, but it's quite a hot topic. It's very female focused. It's about manipulation and control. I think it's quite topical, so I'm looking forward to that.
And finally some quick-fire questions:
Favourite Mallorcan dish?
I think probably trempó
Sea or mountains?
Mountains.
Best season in Mallorca?
Winter.
One village everyone should visit?
I'd probably say Sóller but it's not a village, it's a town. Deià for the beautiful vistas and the history, and of course, Valldemossa.
Morning coffee in Sóller or sunset wine in the port?
Morning coffee in Sóller, definitely.
You can find Anna’s books in shops across the island and via www.amazon.co.uk or www.burrobooks.co.uk
The fifth novel in your Isabel Flores Mallorcan Mystery crime series, ‘White Hot Moon’, is due out in December, can you tell us about it?
It’s centred around fire. On one level, there’s a series of mysterious fires in Sant Martí and the surrounding area, seemingly started by an arsonist and apparently targeting certain people. But on a larger scale there are wildfires breaking out too, again, possibly arson.
There are also some uncanny deaths connected to the story, including the brother of a fireman who dies in a small hut on family land. Was the fire started by someone else, or was it a tragic accident? Then there are some female deaths, and you start wondering what possible connection they could have to it all — if any.
I tend to like twin threads running through my books, and interestingly the next novel, the sixth one, has a water theme - though that wasn’t intentional. I didn’t plan to follow fire with water. Of course, fire is an important topic here on the island. But also, it is an unpleasant subject and one I hesitated writing about. I certainly don’t want to encourage future arsonists. There have been some seriously bad fires over the years that have devastated wildlife. With this book, I wanted to make the plot more personal, but still affecting firemen.
The husband of one of my experienced mountain guides is a fire captain, so luckily, I spent a day with him, talking about how they train, what they do, the application process, and the different aspects of the fire service. I like to carry out detailed research for my books, not just write things off the top of my head. All the same, the book will be a work of fiction, even if I do choose to include some information from my contact.
Are there still stories about the island you feel you haven't told yet?
Yes, most definitely. I'm very excited about the sixth one. It's not very cheerful, but it's quite a hot topic. It's very female focused. It's about manipulation and control. I think it's quite topical, so I'm looking forward to that.
And finally some quick-fire questions:
Favourite Mallorcan dish?
I think probably trempó
Sea or mountains?
Mountains.
Best season in Mallorca?
Winter.
One village everyone should visit?
I'd probably say Sóller but it's not a village, it's a town. Deià for the beautiful vistas and the history, and of course, Valldemossa.
Morning coffee in Sóller or sunset wine in the port?
Morning coffee in Sóller, definitely.
You can find Anna’s books in shops across the island and via www.amazon.co.uk or www.burrobooks.co.uk