The Savage Kingdom

About Simon David Eden

Simon David Eden a graduate of the Royal College of Art, Simon has written screenplays for film and award-winning television drama. He has also worked as a lyricist, lecturer, designer and playwright. This is his first fiction novel.

A Q&A with Simon David Eden

Q. Education

A. I was expelled from my first senior school for failing to attend. The local woods and wildlife were a lot more friendly and interesting! I was then sent to Moulsecoomb School - on the (then) notorious council estate where I lived. It was pretty wild. Wood chisels were thrown, a class was set on fire, there were bare-knuckle fights pretty much every day, and that was just the girls! In my mid-twenties I earned a scholarship to study film at the Royal College of Art. Still proud of my MA Distinction and grateful to Prof. Dick Ross for taking a leap of faith.

Which living person do you most admire?
My dad, Mahatma Ghandi and Mandela. For their quiet courage and infinite wisdom. They’re no longer around to hug or seek advice from, but they ‘live’ on through their influence and inspiration. (Helena definitely makes the list too, but I thought I should give someone else a look in!)
What are your most overused words or phrases?
 ‘Cool’, and ¿dígame? – the latter I picked up while living in Mallorca. It’s what the locals say when they answer the phone. Literally: Tell me, speak to me. I use it everywhere but on the phone.
What is your greatest achievement?
A co-production with my wife: our smart, funny, feisty, beautiful daughter Millie.
Who is your favourite fictional hero?
Spiderman; Santiago in Coelho’s ‘The Alchemist’; Terry Malloy in Budd Shulberg’s ‘On the Waterfront’; Oskar in Jonathan Safran Foer’s ‘Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close’. All flawed, all trying to find themselves while struggling with weighty moral dilemmas.
What 3 personal qualities are most important to you?
Kindness, loyalty, integrity.
Who are your favourite authors?
H Mortimer Batten, Paulo Coelho, Lewis Carroll, Jonathan Carroll, J K Rowling, Hans Christian Andersen, Stan Lee, Raymond Carver, Betty Smith, the poet Rumi, I could go on…
What are your 5 favourite children’s books of all time?
There are some wonderful titles out there today, but I’ll go with the classics I was raised on: ‘Red Ruff’, H Mortimer Batten; ‘The Call of the Wild’, Jack London; ‘The Jungle Book’, Rudyard Kipling; ‘Jonathan Livingston Seagull’, Richard Bach; ‘Alice in Wonderland’, Lewis Carroll.
Do you have one sentence of advice for new writers?
Write from the heart-mind. (see The Savage Kingdom for more detail!)