Siren Land Book

Douglas is eloquent, indeed beautiful in his evocation of the regions around Capri. He meanders through history by means of a stream of consciousness, with seemingly random (but surely crafted) associations, in a manner reminiscent of W.G. Sebald's "The Rings of Saturn". By this means he burrows into the psyche of the people and the region, borne of centuries of ebb and flow of people, empires and their mythological, as well as economic cargo. Douglas brings a gentle, outsider's lens and sarcasm to his discussion of the ad hoc hybrid mythologies of the locals (these designed to cater to the naive expectations of the tourist), but exudes asperity in his critique of the clergy, especially towards the vindictive and twisted Spanish variety. His peregrinations through history are peppered with gems like this: "Bouillabaisse is only good because cooked by the French, who, if they cared to try, could produce an excellent and nutritious substitute out of cigar stumps and empty matchboxes."; perhaps to be taken with a grain of salt, but perhaps not. His knowledge of Mediterranean history is profound (exemplified best by his criticisms of Tacitus), but the corollary of this is that, occasionally, he is challenging to read (in an age when most of us (Plebians) are not well educated in Greek and Latin). I am sure that I would never have encountered the off-hand use of the word "hyperborean" unless I had read this book. I will now use the word at every opportunity. However, although the book is likely to be challenging to the modern reader, it is worth the effort, especially for those who love southern Italy.