Norman Lewis and Naples ‘44

No lover of Naples (or of Italy in general) should miss reading Norman Lewis’s book Naples ‘44, an account of the author’s year spent in that city during a particularly (even for Naples) chaotic and eventful period. The Americans had just arrived and nobody trusted them; the Germans had just left, and nobody knew quite how many bombs they had left behind them, hidden in the cellars and basements under the city. The population was starving and sick, and this led to increases in crime, prostitution, and the other evils of a desperate city.

Lewis arrived as a British intelligence officer, attached loosely to the American troops, and his account of what he saw makes for fascinating reading. He’s a born storyteller and an expert in this period of Italian history, having also written The Honoured Society about America’s role in the post-war rise of the Mafia. Both books—along with several other volumes of Lewis’s writing—are now published by Eland.

More recently, Jonathan Cape have published Semi Invisible Man: the life of Norman Lewis. This hefty biography follows Lewis’s life from his early years in Wales and London, through his many travels, to his death in Saffron Walden at the age of 95. For all his adventures, Lewis was a withdrawn and private individual, and this at least partially explains why he’s not better known. This new biography fills in some of the gaps and examines some of the mysteries and inconsistencies that surround Lewis’s life and work. There’s a full review of Semi Invisible Man: the life of Norman Lewis here.

No Comments »

No comments yet.

Leave a comment

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website