Capri and No Longer Capri (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.

Raffaele La Capria is well-known to Italian readers for his novels and novellas. Ferito a morte (1961) is considered his greatest novel and was awarded the Strega Prize. Elizabeth A. Petroff has translated Latin, Italian, and French writings by medieval women. Richard J. Pioli's translations include works by Marinetti, D'Annunzio, and De Chirico.