Capri and No Longer Capri [Hardcover]

Raffaele La Capria (Author), Elizabeth A. Petroff (Translator), Richard J. Pioli (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 9, 2001 | Series: Nation Books

Raffaele La Capria creates a portrait of Capri that begins in the time of Ulysses and moves to our present complex and hectic reality, and composes an elegy for a Nature blasted by human negligence and error. Americans have now been visiting Capri for many years, and La Capria’s book will offer much to newcomers to the island that they would not otherwise have at their disposal, for his slim volume is a guidebook of a special kind, something like a novel and a local Italian guide. Capri has had a long history as a place of retreat, of sensual license, and of unparalleled natural beauty. Without running through the usual list of sights, La Capria gives his reader the sensation of having peered beneath each stone, and of giving an appreciation of what such a place has done to others, some of whom, once under Capri’s spell, gave their lives over to their dreams.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Originally published in Italy in 1991, this book by famed Italian author La Capria presents a picture of the island of Capri that may shock some and make others hastily switch their travel plans. For many years, Capri ranked as one of the most sybaritic, debauched destinations in Europe an island paradise where English expatriates and other wandering souls could go for a cleansing dose of weird midnight rituals at the Blue Lagoon and where homosexuality was rampant. Capria's intent is to debunk many of these stories while acknowledging that many are true. The outcome is an intimate and brutally honest look at an island that has earned both a fanciful and a disturbing reputation as a European destination that is far off the beaten path. This book is not intended for the casual tourist who takes a day trip from Naples to Capri and only spends a few hours at the Blue Lagoon. It is thus a marginal choice for all but large public libraries. Joseph L. Carlson, Lompoc P.L., CA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

In a book originally published in Italy in 1997, an award-winning Italian novelist sings a beautiful aria dedicated to his favorite place on Earth, the fabled island of Capri. In a series of short, graceful, but pungent chapters, he reacts to the many features of Capri that rivet the traveler's attention; he also examines the recollections of other writers who have come to enjoy the unparalleled beauty of the place, all of whom must face the fact that Capri's physical attributes "make us feel how ephemeral history is in comparison with the eternity of nature." His book is underscored by his insistence that "literature combines with travel to make a mighty potion," but the title reflects his recent disenchantment with Capri. The places we especially love to visit, he posits, inevitably change as the years advance, and concomitantly, our ability to absorb the special qualities of these favored and even revered places reaches a saturation point. Despite the book's somber final note, this is a lovely piece of travel writing. Brad Hooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 150 pages
• Publisher: Nation Books (September 9, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560253487
• ISBN-13: 978-1560253488
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,175,830 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Essential Book, July 6, 2007

By 

D. A Wend (Arlington Heights, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Capri and No Longer Capri (Paperback)

Capri and No Longer Capri is not a guide book, nor is it a history of the island: it is the reflections of the author, novelist Raffaele La Capria, on his long relationship with Capri. Mr. La Capria has a summer home on Capri but has visited the island, on and off, since he was a teenager. The book consists of chapters that were, for the most part, published elsewhere first. The book begins with Capri's past with chapters on the imperial period, the Blue Grotto, Fersen and the creation of his famous villa, Krupp and his sad end and how Norman Douglas and other writers related their experiences. These are informative chapters that provide the author's perspective and relate his own experiences. The chapter on the Blue Grotto is marvelously descriptive and Mr. La Capria provides his own experiences on visiting the famous tourist site as he waits for all the boats to depart so he can have the place to himself.

The concluding chapters of the book relate the changes that have come to Capri over the years; the hoards of tourists that descend on the island in huge groups, the speedboats and huge yachts that anchor off the island and spread their garbage into the sea. More serious is the disappearance of the fish for pollution and over fishing. This is so serious that sea gulls can not longer feed themselves from the sea any longer. It is the consequences of these unwelcome changes that Mr. La Capria is most eloquent about: the beauty of Capri slowly being eroded by over development and environmental degradation. I have visited Capri twice with my wife, going by ferry to the island and preferring to see the natural beauty of the place instead of shopping. It had always seemed to us that Capri was a small paradise but from this book one understands that this is merely an appearance and that environmental disaster is also looming over such magnificent places.

This is a very well written book that has been translated from Italian and it offers a different perspective of Capri that a visitor is usually exposed to. The book will appear most to people who have visited the island since I doubt that it would make much sense to someone who has not been there and knows nothing about the places and people described. For those who have seen Capri this is an invaluable book that also serves as a warning: we are destroying the places we love and need to be aware that our actions, such as uncontrolled building, over fishing of the seas and polluting the land an sea all come with a terrible cost.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Capri-=Its before and after, October 10, 2007

By 

S. Gentry (Stanwood, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Capri and No Longer Capri (Paperback)

This is a fine written book by Raffeale La Capria.. It delves into the history in Homar's time and take you to the Capri of today. I was especially interested in reading this book because it was on the reading list of one of my favorite authors, Francis Mayes. Also, because I will be visiting Capri next year.