Book of the month

09 May 2021

Gladys Emma Peto, Malta and Cyprus, London & Toronto, J.M. Dent and Sons Ltd, 1926

Gladys Emma Peto (1890-1977), was an English artist, fashion designer, illustrator and writer. She studied at the Maidenhead School of Art and at the London School of Art in 1911, and afterwards worked for the Sketch magazine. In 1922 she married British army Doctor Cuthbert Lindsay Emmerson who was stationed in Malta, Cyprus and Egypt between the years 1924 and 1928, were she followed him. Through her sometimes caustic way, she paints a window into the everyday life of Cyprus of the past: “They are a mostly friendly folk. If you are able to talk to them, the women have the most curious habit of patting you upon the cheek when they take leave, which is rather disconcerting.”

In her book she describes Cyprus in the 1920s, as a rural place full of contrasts, history and beauty. Being an artist herself she was a controversial character for both the British and the Cypriots. But that didn’t stopped her from exploring and giving us through her illustrations some insight of her life on the island which in the end she came to love: “It is a heart-breaking day when you go away from Cyprus for ever.”

Come and enjoy reading Malta and Cyprus at the CVAR research Center

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