Greene on Capri : A Memoir

Rating:
Summary: Luminous,insightful memoir of a monster on a fabulous island
Review: Although the focus is primarily on the restless,stimulating. widely-read, at-times malevolent writer, I learned moreabout Capri from reading Hazzard's short memoir than I did from theclassic book about Capri, Norman Douglas's (1911) _Siren Land_. Nearthe end of _Greene on Capri_ is a splendid tribute to Harold Acton,who had been a longtime friend of Greene's , but who finally weariedat Greene's intermittent cruelties to others. There is also abrilliant account of a visit to the nearby island owned by the greatballet dancer Léonide Massine (to talk about"Parade").

Hazzard clearly knows Greene's work well and makessome insightful comments on it. Although recording her personalobservations of Green over many years, she is careful not to make anyexcessive claims to knowledge of his subjectivity. She remembers whatwas exhilarating about his company as well as the constant need forwariness because of his sudden furies and what seem almost likepossessions by a need to be provocatively disagreeable. Any sharedpleasure always seems to have teetered at the edge of the abyss of hisrages. After one of Greene's onslaughts, Hazzard's husband (FrancisSteegmuller) laconically observed, "We came into the restaurantlaughing, then laughed no more" (134).

It is not altogetherclear why they continued to put up with someone who behaved sounreasonably so often. It is not that she knew she was going to writeabout him. Had she planned to be Greene's Boswell, she would haveassiduously written down his table talk each time after leaving hiscompany. As it is, she has produced an elegant memoir of a friendshipof two couples on a spectacular rock (though Greene was oblivious ofnatural beauty and the dramatic vistas that are everywhere onCapri).<P ... The first chapter captured me and demonstrates Hazzard'sformidable ability to draw character and setting. ... The authorstrikes me as modest, discerning, generous, and surely a more pleasantacquaintance than Greene was.

Rating:
Summary: Not Greene nor Capri...
Review: Graham Greene is one of those writers whom you wouldn't necessarily want to meet socially -- however great their works might be. You could be in for some scintillating conversation, or just as likely for embarassed silence or a dose of that gold-plated chip on the shoulder. At one point in a restaurant, Greene stands up and makes a loud public announcement that some poor tourist was eavesdropping on his conversation. Another time, he publicly berates the author's husband, translator Francis Steegmuller, for feeding stray cats.

For over 40 years, Graham Greene spent Spring and Autumn at his villa in Anacapri. During much of that time, Shirley Hazzard and Steegmuller were also in attendance and struck up as close a friendship as that truculent Englishman would allow. Rather than a formal biography, GREENE ON CAPRI is a delightfully impressionistic book about Greene, the island they all held in common (though Green knew astonishingly little about its history), and the famous literary visitors whose lives partially intersected, most notably Harold Acton and Norman Douglas.

As I am planning a visit to Capri in the foreseeable future, I was pleasantly surprised how much information about the island and its history is conveyed in the book's 149 pages. Everything but the Blue Grotto was there. I was particularly delighted to see a photo of the villa that figured so largely in one of my favorite films, Jean-Luc Godard's CONTEMPT (1963): it was built by the Fascist -- later Communist -- writer Curzio Malaparte.

Many of my favorite books point the way to interesting new authors, works, and places. GREENE ON CAPRI is a keeper, and I expect it will help inform my future reading and (hopefully) travel for some time to come. Shirley Hazzard is a delightful writer, and Greene a fascinating if prickly subject. The result: a literary gem which merits my highest recommendation.

Rating:
Summary: A book of ethereal beauty and grace.
Review: I am completely baffled by the negative reviews on this book, especially the comments on Ms.Hazzard's prose. If this prose appears to be too difficult for you, stick with comic strips! This is clearly one of the most beautifully written books I have come across in a very long time. The beauty and grace of Ms. Hazzard's prose leave me breathless at times. The way she describes Graham Greene makes me believe I used to know him. The images she evokes of Capri and the times she and her husband spent there are vivid and all encompassing. This book makes you long to be there. La nostalgie est une chanson douce! I cannot imagine a sweeter song than "Greene on Capri" by Shirley Hazzard.

Rating:
Summary: Give it a Go
Review: I can only conclude from other reviews that Shirley Hazzard is an acquired taste, but would add that it's worth giving a go. She is a supremely old-fashioned writer, which I think some find mannered or awkward. It's odd, because I find her prose illuminating and exciting to read - each word is measured and beautiful. Her novels are luminous things of beauty, particularly The Bay of Noon and The Great Fire. She's just won Australia's top literary prize - very well-deserved. If you have time and patience, for her books need careful reading, they are richly rewarding. It's only an inexpensive paperback, go on, try some, you never know, you might like it!

Rating:
Summary: Evocative and beautifully written
Review: I loved this book, a memoir of Graham Greene's many years spent vacationing on Capri. If you are interested in travel, in Italy and Capri, in WWII-era Europe, in the literary personages of the time and -- most of all -- in beautiful prose and poetry, you will also enjoy this tale. But keep a dictionary handy, and be ready to send for Shirley Hazzard's earlier works -- one, a National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction, 1981.

Rating:
Summary: Slender in Size and Scope, But Worth a Read
Review: Shirley Hazzard's memoir of Graham Greene on Capri came rather later than the main flood of memoirs and biographies that followed the death of the master. The author shares her memories of evenings and meals spent with Greene and her husband (the writer Francis Steegmuller, whose "Flaubert in Egypt" is one of the jewels of my book collection) on that exotic island, home to so many notable expatriates of yesteryear, Lenin and Norman Douglas among them. The book is interesting for its depiction of Greene in all his annoying lovability, although when you finish it (in little more than an hour) you might feel the need for more substantial fare. "Greene on Capri" probably won't be of interest to most people, but for diehard devotees of that difficult genius it makes for a worthwhile read.