With illustrations by his wife, Joanna, he talks through 35 years of life in the Middle East

Forging a career in the Middle East

Faith, Culture and Conflict – A Middle Eastern Odyssey is Philip Blair’s attempt to distil 35 years of life into an autobiographical and reflective book.

Philip (Diploma of Education 1975, PhD Linguistics 1984) aims to illustrate his experiences living in the Middle East and his personal and profession journey through six different countries and three different professions.

He writes about, “the rich – though often disturbed – history of a region that has yet to find itself.” Talking about his family’s life and experiences in the region “provides pegs on which to hang comments about matters of concern,” He says.

Talking about his time at Exeter, he said, “I loved the campus, where I rented a room for a time,” and when asked what his advice to aspiring authors was, he said, “If the book is good, someone will like it and want to see it in print, so be patient as you do the rounds with publishers, major or minor.”

Date: 24 March 2015