Norman Lewis
Encyclopedia
Norman Lewis was a prolific British
writer best known for his travel writing. Though not widely known, "Norman Lewis is one of the best writers, not of any particular decade, but of our century", according to Graham Greene
.
, Enfield
, Middlesex
, a suburb of London, and attended Enfield Grammar School
.
Lewis served in World War II
and wrote an account of his experiences during the Allied occupation of Italy, titled Naples '44. Shortly after the war he produced volumes about Burma, titled Golden Earth, and French Indochina
, titled A Dragon Apparent. His intrepid boots-on-the-ground view of Vietnam under French colonial domination, without being itself a political rant, gives context to any discussion of the American experience in that battered and subjugated part of the world.
Lewis was fascinated by cultures which were little touched by the modern world. This was reflected in his books on travels in Indonesia
, An Empire of the East, and among the tribal peoples of India
, A Goddess in the Stones.
Lewis's first wife, Ernestina, was a Swiss-Sicilian
aristocrat, and Sicilian life, including the Mafia
, was another of his major themes, reflected in The Honoured Society and In Sicily. His treatment of the Mafia was not sensationalist but based on an acute understanding of Sicilian society and a deep sympathy with the sufferings of the Sicilian people, without losing sight of the horrors inflicted by the organisation.
Another major concern of Lewis's was the impact of missionary
activity on tribal
societies in Latin America
and elsewhere. He was hostile to the activities of missionaries, especially American evangelicals. This is covered in the volume, Among the Missionaries and several shorter pieces. He frequently said that he regarded his life's major achievement as the worldwide reaction to writing on tribal societies in South America. In 1968, his article "Genocide in Brazil", published in the Sunday Times
, created such an outcry that it led to the creation of the organisation Survival International
, dedicated to the protection of first peoples around the world.
Lewis wrote several volumes of autobiography, again concerned primarily with his observations of the many places in which he lived at various times, which included St Catherine's Island
in South Wales
near Tenby, the Bloomsbury
district of London
during World War II
, Nicaragua
, a Spanish fishing village, and a village near Rome
.
Lewis also wrote twelve novels. Some of these enjoyed significant success at the time of publication, but his reputation rests mainly on his travel writing.
He died in Saffron Walden
, Essex
, survived by his third wife, Lesley, and their son, Gawaine, and two daughters, Kiki and Samara, and by a son, Gareth, and daughter, Karen, from his second marriage with Hester, and by a son, Ito, from his first marriage. His second son gareth has recently had a novel published called 'Deceit'
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
writer best known for his travel writing. Though not widely known, "Norman Lewis is one of the best writers, not of any particular decade, but of our century", according to Graham Greene
Graham Greene
Henry Graham Greene, OM, CH was an English author, playwright and literary critic. His works explore the ambivalent moral and political issues of the modern world...
.
Biography
Lewis was born in Forty HillForty Hill
Forty Hill is a largely residential suburb in the north of the London Borough of Enfield, England. To the north is Bulls Cross, to the south Enfield Town, to the west Clay Hill, and to the east Enfield Highway.- Etymology :...
, Enfield
Enfield Town
Enfield Town is the historic town centre of Enfield, formerly in the county of Middlesex and now in the London Borough of Enfield. It is north north-east of Charing Cross...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, a suburb of London, and attended Enfield Grammar School
Enfield Grammar School
Enfield Grammar School is a boys' comprehensive school in Enfield Town in the London Borough of Enfield in north London.-History:Enfield Grammar School was founded on the 25th. May 1558...
.
Lewis served in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and wrote an account of his experiences during the Allied occupation of Italy, titled Naples '44. Shortly after the war he produced volumes about Burma, titled Golden Earth, and French Indochina
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
, titled A Dragon Apparent. His intrepid boots-on-the-ground view of Vietnam under French colonial domination, without being itself a political rant, gives context to any discussion of the American experience in that battered and subjugated part of the world.
Lewis was fascinated by cultures which were little touched by the modern world. This was reflected in his books on travels in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, An Empire of the East, and among the tribal peoples of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, A Goddess in the Stones.
Lewis's first wife, Ernestina, was a Swiss-Sicilian
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
aristocrat, and Sicilian life, including the Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
, was another of his major themes, reflected in The Honoured Society and In Sicily. His treatment of the Mafia was not sensationalist but based on an acute understanding of Sicilian society and a deep sympathy with the sufferings of the Sicilian people, without losing sight of the horrors inflicted by the organisation.
Another major concern of Lewis's was the impact of missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
activity on tribal
Tribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
societies in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
and elsewhere. He was hostile to the activities of missionaries, especially American evangelicals. This is covered in the volume, Among the Missionaries and several shorter pieces. He frequently said that he regarded his life's major achievement as the worldwide reaction to writing on tribal societies in South America. In 1968, his article "Genocide in Brazil", published in the Sunday Times
The Sunday Times (UK)
The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper, distributed in the United Kingdom. The Sunday Times is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International, which is in turn owned by News Corporation. Times Newspapers also owns The Times, but the two papers were founded...
, created such an outcry that it led to the creation of the organisation Survival International
Survival International
Survival International is a human rights organisation formed in 1969 that campaigns for the rights of indigenous tribal peoples and uncontacted peoples, seeking to help them to determine their own future. Their campaigns generally focus on tribal peoples' fight to keep their ancestral lands,...
, dedicated to the protection of first peoples around the world.
Lewis wrote several volumes of autobiography, again concerned primarily with his observations of the many places in which he lived at various times, which included St Catherine's Island
St Catherine's Island
St Catherine's Island is a small tidal island linked to Tenby in Pembrokeshire, Wales, by a beach at low tide. The island is home to a Palmerston fort, constructed to protect Pembroke Dock and completed in 1870. In 1907, the island was sold privately for 500 pounds. St...
in South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
near Tenby, the Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury
-Places:* Bloomsbury is an area in central London.* Bloomsbury , related local government unit* Bloomsbury, New Jersey, New Jersey, USA* Bloomsbury , listed on the NRHP in Maryland...
district of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, a Spanish fishing village, and a village near Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
Lewis also wrote twelve novels. Some of these enjoyed significant success at the time of publication, but his reputation rests mainly on his travel writing.
He died in Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden is a medium-sized market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. It is located north of Bishop's Stortford, south of Cambridge and approx north of London...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, survived by his third wife, Lesley, and their son, Gawaine, and two daughters, Kiki and Samara, and by a son, Gareth, and daughter, Karen, from his second marriage with Hester, and by a son, Ito, from his first marriage. His second son gareth has recently had a novel published called 'Deceit'
Novels
- Samara (Cape 1949)
- Within the Labyrinth (Cape 1950; US: 1986 Carroll)
- A Single Pilgrim (Cape 1953; US: 1953 Rinehart)
- The Day of the Fox (Cape 1955; US: 1955 Rinehart)
- The Volcanoes Above Us (Cape 1957; US: 1957 Pantheon, not dated)
- Darkness Visible (Cape 1960; US: 1960 Pantheon)
- The Tenth Year of the Ship (Collins 1962; US: 1962 Harcourt)
- A Small War Made to Order (Collins 1966; US: 1966 Brace)
- Every Man's Brother (Heinemann 1967; US: 1968 Morrow)
- Flight from a Dark Equator (Collins 1972; US: 1972 Putnam)
- The Sicilian Specialist (Random 1974; UK: 1975 Collins)
- The German Company (Collins 1979)
- The Cuban Passage (Collins 1982; US: 1982 Pantheon)
- A Suitable Case for Corruption (Hamilton 1984; US: 1984 Pantheon, as The Man in the Middle)
- The March of the Long Shadows (Secker 1987)
Travel & Miscellaneous
- Spanish Adventure (1935, later disowned)
- Sand and Sea in Arabia (Routledge 1938)
- A Dragon Apparent - Travels in Indo-China (Cape 1951; US: 1951 Scribner's)
- Golden Earth - Travels in Burma (Cape 1952; US: 1952 Scribner's)
- The Changing Sky The Travels of a Novelist (Cape 1959; US: 1959 Pantheon)
- The Honoured Society - The Mafia Conspiracy Observed (Collins 1964; US: 1964 Putnam's; London: Eland, 2003)
- Naples '44 (Collins 1978; US: 1978 Pantheon)
- Voices of the Old Sea (Hamilton 1984; US: 1985 Viking)
- Jackdaw Cake (Hamilton 1985)
- A View of the World (Eland 1986)
- The Missionaries (Secker 1988; US: 1988 McGraw)
- To Run Across the Sea (Cape 1989)
- A Goddess in the Stones: Travels in India (Cape 1991; US: 1992 Holt) (Thomas Cook Travel Book AwardThomas Cook Travel Book AwardThe Thomas Cook Travel Book Award originated as an initiative of Thomas Cook AG in 1980, with the aim of encouraging and rewarding the art of literary travel writing. The awards stopped in 2005...
) - An Empire of the East Travels in Indonesia (Cape 1993; US: 1993 Holt)
- I Came I Saw (Picador 1994) - extended issue of 'Jackdaw cake'
- The World The World (Cape 1996; US: 1997 Holt)
- The Happy Ant-Heap (Cape 1998)
- A Voyage by Dhow (and other pieces) (Cape2001)
- In Sicily (Cape 2001)
- The Tomb in Seville (Cape 2003)
Further reading
- Julian Evans, Semi-Invisible Man: the Life of Norman Lewis, Jonathan Cape 2008 ISBN 978-0224072755
External links
- Telegraph Obituary, July 22, 2003
- Excerpt from The Honoured Society by Norman Lewis
- Eland Books specialist travel literature publisher and holders of the following Lewis titles – Naples '44, The Honoured Society, A Dragon Apparent, Golden Earth and A View of the World
- "Granta" Norman Lewis articles
- Tender Beginner: Norman Lewis, A Twentieth Century Witness