Old Calabria [Paperback]

Norman Douglas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 13, 2010

Though steeped in a rich and ancient past, Calabria had been lost from view when Norman Douglas visited in the early 1900s. Within Douglas’s vibrant account of his adventures is woven the rich history—from Greek settlers and Roman conquerors to the powerful Ndrangheta organized crime family—that has shaped the land, language, culture, and people of a place that Douglas grew to adore. Witty, erudite, and elegant, Old Calabria is a literary classic, acclaimed as much for its sparkling prose as for its exquisite portrait of Italy’s most unpredictable and colorful province.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“If there is a better book of travel in English, I do not know it.” —R. M. Dawkins, University of Oxford

About the Author

Norman Douglas (1868-1952) was born in Austria and educated in England, Germany and France. Much of his life was spent in exile in Italy and the south of France. He is the author of several books, including Siren Land,  Fountains in the Sand, and Old Calabria. Publication of his most famous novel, South Wind, established his reputation as one of the foremost writers of his generation. Though his life was surrounded by controversy, Douglas’s prose reflected an elegance and beauty acclaimed by critics. His novels and travel books are now widely regarded as classics.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Tauris Parke Paperbacks (April 13, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1848851138
• ISBN-13: 978-1848851139
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,398,674 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Montaigne meets Nabokov, September 29, 2009

By 

Patrick Goold (Portsmouth, VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Old Calabria (Paperback)

If you enjoy books by literary travellers, you will love this one. In it a humane sensibility reveals itself in clean, meticulous prose. This is not a book about Calabria but a book about Norman Douglas in Calabria, a much more interesting topic. Read Paul Fussell's excellent essay on Douglas, "Norman Douglas's Temporary Attachments" and you will understand. In Abroad: British Literary Traveling between the Wars

5.0 out of 5 stars Misleading book description, January 7, 2012

By 

cd2011 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Old Calabria (Paperback)

This book is a masterpiece of English literature on Italy. However the book description on Amazon is misleading. It is not about Calabria but "Old Calabria." To the ancients the area between northern Apulia (Puglia) and Calabria, and of course Calabria itself, was Calabria. The first half of the book is mostly about the area which is called Tavoliere di Puglia, which is in current-day Puglia, and parts of Basilicata (the old Lucania). Only the second half deals with current-day Calabria.

Norman Douglas's knowledge and grasp of Southern Italy is unsurpassed. I also highly recommend "Siren Land." Add to these Goethe's "Italian Journey" and you will have gained the kind of insight that no contemporary, olive-tree hugging, marketing-conscious author can ever provide.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Read, September 19, 2010

By 

C. A. Varipapa "Giancarlo" (Washington DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Old Calabria (Paperback)

This was a brilliant book and thoroughly enjoyable. At first I got it to look into the nature of the Calabrian people but soon realized it was the story of one man's interpretation of his own travels through Southern Italy in areas that may at one time have been part of Calabria. Interestingly San Giuseppe di Cupertino was mentioned in the book but he is from Le Marche, far north of Calabria if old. Still a witty and sarcastic endeavor that was fun to read.