Every life has a story worth keeping.
An introduction to the places, people, and unexpected possibilities at the heart of Open Road.
A life rarely makes sense in a straight line. We begin in one place, meet people we could never have predicted, and find ourselves somewhere entirely different. Only when we look back do the connections begin to appear.
Open Road: …an unlikely story is Steve Martin’s memoir of such a journey. It begins with his upbringing in Buckinghamshire and follows a working life that took him into diplomacy, public affairs, and communications, much of it in the Middle East.
From a village to the wider world
Steve grew up in Great Hampden, near Chequers, and attended High Wycombe Royal Grammar School. In 1972 he joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It was the beginning of a career that would carry him a long way from the English countryside.
His later work included joining HSBC in Dubai as Head of Public Affairs in 1998 and working in communications in the Gulf. He retired in 2020. These are the broad outlines; a memoir makes room for the people and experiences between them.
A story for the people who come after
The memoir began as a personal account for his children and those closest to him. That gives the book its starting point: a wish to preserve the story of a life, rather than let its details disappear.
Writing it also led Steve to discover a love of helping other people tell their life stories. The experience of looking back became the beginning of another chapter.
Where does your story begin?
You do not need a career in diplomacy to have a story worth keeping. A remembered conversation, a move to a new place, or a decision that seemed small at the time can be the beginning.
If Open Road invites a question, it is this: which parts of your own journey would you like someone else to remember?
This website introduction is based on the supplied book and author information. It is not an extract from the memoir or a post written by Steve.
Discover Open Road →Stories bring us together.
What stayed with you? Which part of your own journey came to mind?
Reader discussions are coming soon. In the meantime, take a moment to think about a story of your own.