Louis de Bernières
Encyclopedia
Louis de Bernières is a British novelist most famous for his fourth novel, Captain Corelli's Mandolin
. In 1993 de Bernières was selected as one of the "20 Best of Young British Novelists", part of a promotion
in Granta
magazine
. Captain Corelli's Mandolin was published in the following year, winning the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book. It was also shortlisted for the 1994 Sunday Express Book of the Year. It has been translated into over 11 languages and is an international bestseller.
On 16 July 2008 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in the Arts by the De Montfort University
in Leicester
, which he had previously attended when it was known as Leicester Polytechnic.
and grew up in Surrey, the first part of his surname being inherited from a French Huguenot
forefather. He was educated at Bradfield College
and joined the army when he was 18, but left after four months of service at Sandhurst
. He attended the Victoria University of Manchester
and the Institute of Education, University of London
. Before he began to write full-time he held a wide variety of jobs, including being a mechanic
, a motorcycle
messenger
and an English teacher in Colombia
. He now lives near Bungay in Suffolk
with his partner, Cathy and two children, Robin and Sophie. De Bernières is an avid musician. He plays the flute, mandolin, clarinet and guitar, though considers himself an “enthusiastic but badly-educated and erratic” amateur. His literary work often references music and composers he admires, such as the guitar works of Villa-Lobos and Antonio Lauro
in the Latin American trilogy, and the mandolin works of Vivaldi and Hummel
in Captain Corelli’s Mandolin.
(as well as the influence of writer Gabriel García Márquez
, describing himself as a 'Márquez parasite') that, he says, profoundly influenced his first three novels, The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts
(1990), Señor Vivo and the Coca Lord
(1991) and The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman
(1992).
, in which the eponymous hero is an Italian soldier who is part of the occupying
force on a Greek island during the Second World War. In the US it was originally published as Corelli's Mandolin.
In 2001, the book was turned into a film
. De Bernières strongly disapproved of the film version, commenting, "It would be impossible for a parent to be happy about its baby's ears being put on backwards." He does however state that it has redeeming qualities, and particularly likes the soundtrack.
Since the release of the book and the movie, Cephalonia (the island on which the book is set) has become a major tourist
destination; and as a result the tourist industry on the island has begun to capitalise on the book's name. Of this, de Bernières said: "I was very displeased to see that a bar in Agia Efimia has abandoned its perfectly good Greek name and renamed itself Captain Corelli's, and I dread the idea that sooner or later there might be Captain Corelli Tours, or Pelagia Apartments."
(2001) was inspired by a statue of a dog he saw during a visit to the Pilbara region of Western Australia and has been filmed in 2011.
(2004) is set in Turkey
, and portrays the people in a small village toward the end of the Ottoman Empire
, the rise of Kemal Atatürk, and the outbreak of the First World War
.
, Chiddingfold
, Hambledon
and Haslemere
, as well as to Waitrose, Scats, the Institute of Oceanographic Sciences, the Merry Harriers pub and the 'suicidal driving' of the nuns at St Dominic's School. De Bernières reflects in the Afterword:
Captain Corelli's Mandolin
Captain Corelli's Mandolin, released simultaneously as Corelli's Mandolin. in the United States, is a 1994 novel written by Louis de Bernières which takes place on the island of Cephallonia during the Italian and German occupation of World War II. The main characters are Antonio Corelli, an...
. In 1993 de Bernières was selected as one of the "20 Best of Young British Novelists", part of a promotion
Promotion (marketing)
Promotion is one of the four elements of marketing mix . It is the communication link between sellers and buyers for the purpose of influencing, informing, or persuading a potential buyer's purchasing decision....
in Granta
Granta
Granta is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centers on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story’s supreme ability to describe, illuminate and make real." In 2007, The Observer stated, "In its blend of...
magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
. Captain Corelli's Mandolin was published in the following year, winning the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book. It was also shortlisted for the 1994 Sunday Express Book of the Year. It has been translated into over 11 languages and is an international bestseller.
On 16 July 2008 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in the Arts by the De Montfort University
De Montfort University
De Montfort University is a public research and teaching university situated in the medieval Old Town of Leicester, England, adjacent to the River Soar and the Leicester Castle Gardens...
in Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, which he had previously attended when it was known as Leicester Polytechnic.
Biography
Louis H P de Bernières-Smart was born near WoolwichWoolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
and grew up in Surrey, the first part of his surname being inherited from a French Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
forefather. He was educated at Bradfield College
Bradfield College
Bradfield College is a coeducational independent school located in the small village of Bradfield in the English county of Berkshire.The college was founded in 1850 by Thomas Stevens, Rector and Lord of the Manor of Bradfield...
and joined the army when he was 18, but left after four months of service at Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
. He attended the Victoria University of Manchester
Victoria University of Manchester
The Victoria University of Manchester was a university in Manchester, England. On 1 October 2004 it merged with the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology to form a new entity, "The University of Manchester".-1851 - 1951:The University was founded in 1851 as Owens College,...
and the Institute of Education, University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
. Before he began to write full-time he held a wide variety of jobs, including being a mechanic
Mechanic
A mechanic is a craftsman or technician who uses tools to build or repair machinery.Many mechanics are specialized in a particular field such as auto mechanics, bicycle mechanics, motorcycle mechanics, boiler mechanics, general mechanics, industrial maintenance mechanics , air conditioning and...
, a motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
messenger
Courier
A courier is a person or a company who delivers messages, packages, and mail. Couriers are distinguished from ordinary mail services by features such as speed, security, tracking, signature, specialization and individualization of express services, and swift delivery times, which are optional for...
and an English teacher in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. He now lives near Bungay in Suffolk
Bungay, Suffolk
Bungay is a market town in the English county of Suffolk. It lies in the Waveney valley, west of Beccles on the edge of The Broads, and at the neck of a meander of the River Waveney.-Early history:...
with his partner, Cathy and two children, Robin and Sophie. De Bernières is an avid musician. He plays the flute, mandolin, clarinet and guitar, though considers himself an “enthusiastic but badly-educated and erratic” amateur. His literary work often references music and composers he admires, such as the guitar works of Villa-Lobos and Antonio Lauro
Antonio Lauro
Antonio Lauro was a Venezuelan musician, considered to be one of the foremost South American composers for the Guitar in the 20th century.- Biography :Antonio Lauro was born in Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela...
in the Latin American trilogy, and the mandolin works of Vivaldi and Hummel
Hummel
Hummel may refer to:people:* Arvid David Hummel , Swedish entomologist and notary* Arthur W. Hummel, Jr. , U.S. diplomat, ambassador to China from 1981 to 1985* Arthur W. Hummel, Sr...
in Captain Corelli’s Mandolin.
Latin American trilogy
It was his experiences in ColombiaColombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
(as well as the influence of writer Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez is a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo throughout Latin America. He is considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in...
, describing himself as a 'Márquez parasite') that, he says, profoundly influenced his first three novels, The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts
The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts
The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts is a novel by Louis de Bernières, first published in 1990. It is the first of his Latin American trilogy. The other two parts are Señor Vivo and the Coca Lord and The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman.It is de Bernières' first published novel, but is...
(1990), Señor Vivo and the Coca Lord
Señor Vivo and the Coca Lord
Señor Vivo and the Coca Lord is a novel by Louis de Bernières, first published in 1991. It is the second of his Latin American trilogy, following on from The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts and preceding The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman.- Setting :Set in an imagined Latin American...
(1991) and The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman
The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman
The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman is a novel by Louis de Bernières, first published in 1992. It is the last of his Latin American trilogy, following on from The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts and Señor Vivo and the Coca Lord....
(1992).
Captain Corelli's Mandolin
De Bernières' most famous book is his fourth, Captain Corelli's MandolinCaptain Corelli's Mandolin
Captain Corelli's Mandolin, released simultaneously as Corelli's Mandolin. in the United States, is a 1994 novel written by Louis de Bernières which takes place on the island of Cephallonia during the Italian and German occupation of World War II. The main characters are Antonio Corelli, an...
, in which the eponymous hero is an Italian soldier who is part of the occupying
Military occupation
Military occupation occurs when the control and authority over a territory passes to a hostile army. The territory then becomes occupied territory.-Military occupation and the laws of war:...
force on a Greek island during the Second World War. In the US it was originally published as Corelli's Mandolin.
In 2001, the book was turned into a film
Captain Corelli's Mandolin (film)
Captain Corelli's Mandolin is a 2001 film directed by John Madden and based on the novel of the same name by Louis de Bernières. It stars Nicolas Cage and Penélope Cruz.-Plot:...
. De Bernières strongly disapproved of the film version, commenting, "It would be impossible for a parent to be happy about its baby's ears being put on backwards." He does however state that it has redeeming qualities, and particularly likes the soundtrack.
Since the release of the book and the movie, Cephalonia (the island on which the book is set) has become a major tourist
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
destination; and as a result the tourist industry on the island has begun to capitalise on the book's name. Of this, de Bernières said: "I was very displeased to see that a bar in Agia Efimia has abandoned its perfectly good Greek name and renamed itself Captain Corelli's, and I dread the idea that sooner or later there might be Captain Corelli Tours, or Pelagia Apartments."
Red Dog
His book Red DogRed Dog (novel)
Red Dog is a short novel by Louis de Bernières charting the life of a popular dog, a "Red Cloud Kelpie" nicknamed Red Dog, in Karratha, Western Australia. A movie based on the novel was filmed in Australia in 2011.-Part one:...
(2001) was inspired by a statue of a dog he saw during a visit to the Pilbara region of Western Australia and has been filmed in 2011.
Birds Without Wings
Birds Without WingsBirds Without Wings (novel)
Birds Without Wings is a novel by Louis de Bernières, written in 2004. Narrated by various characters, it tells the tragic love story of Philothei and Ibrahim. It also chronicles the rise of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the 'Father of the Turkish Nation'...
(2004) is set in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, and portrays the people in a small village toward the end of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, the rise of Kemal Atatürk, and the outbreak of the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
A Partisan's Daughter
A Partisan's Daughter (2008) tells of the relationship between a young Yugoslavian woman and a middle-aged British man in the 1970s, set in London.Notwithstanding
Notwithstanding (2009) is a collection of short stories revolving around a fictional English village, Notwithstanding, and its eccentric inhabitants. Many of the stories were published separately earlier in de Bernières's career. Notwithstanding is based on the village where he grew up, Wormley, Surrey, and he muses whether this is, or is no longer, the rural idyll. Some of the stories are autobiographical, such as 'Silly Bugger 1' about a boy who brings up an abandoned rook, which becomes his companion, the rook sitting on his shoulder as he goes about his life - de Bernières is pictured on his website with a rook sitting on his shoulder. Notwithstanding is rich in local detail, containing references to the nearby villages and towns of GodalmingGodalming
Godalming is a town and civil parish in the Waverley district of the county of Surrey, England, south of Guildford. It is built on the banks of the River Wey and is a prosperous part of the London commuter belt. Godalming shares a three-way twinning arrangement with the towns of Joigny in France...
, Chiddingfold
Chiddingfold
Chiddingfold is a village and civil parish in the heart of The Weald in the Waverley district of Surrey, England. It lies on the A283 between Milford and Petworth...
, Hambledon
Hambledon, Surrey
Hambledon is a small and scattered village in Surrey, south of Guildford. It is tucked away amongst fields and woodland between Witley and Chiddingfold....
and Haslemere
Haslemere
Haslemere is a town in Surrey, England, close to the border with both Hampshire and West Sussex. The major road between London and Portsmouth, the A3, lies to the west, and a branch of the River Wey to the south. Haslemere is approximately south-west of Guildford.Haslemere is surrounded by hills,...
, as well as to Waitrose, Scats, the Institute of Oceanographic Sciences, the Merry Harriers pub and the 'suicidal driving' of the nuns at St Dominic's School. De Bernières reflects in the Afterword:
"I realised that I had set so many of my novels and stories abroad, because custom had prevented me from seeing how exotic my own country is. Britain really is an immense lunatic asylum. That is one of the things that distinguishes us among the nations...We are rigid and formal in some ways, but we believe in the right to eccentricity, as long as the eccentricities are large enough...Woe betide you if you hold your knife incorrectly, but good luck to you if you wear a loincloth and live up a tree."
Novels
- The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether PartsThe War of Don Emmanuel's Nether PartsThe War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts is a novel by Louis de Bernières, first published in 1990. It is the first of his Latin American trilogy. The other two parts are Señor Vivo and the Coca Lord and The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman.It is de Bernières' first published novel, but is...
(1990) - Señor Vivo and the Coca LordSeñor Vivo and the Coca LordSeñor Vivo and the Coca Lord is a novel by Louis de Bernières, first published in 1991. It is the second of his Latin American trilogy, following on from The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts and preceding The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman.- Setting :Set in an imagined Latin American...
(1991) - The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal GuzmanThe Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal GuzmanThe Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman is a novel by Louis de Bernières, first published in 1992. It is the last of his Latin American trilogy, following on from The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts and Señor Vivo and the Coca Lord....
(1992) - Captain Corelli's MandolinCaptain Corelli's MandolinCaptain Corelli's Mandolin, released simultaneously as Corelli's Mandolin. in the United States, is a 1994 novel written by Louis de Bernières which takes place on the island of Cephallonia during the Italian and German occupation of World War II. The main characters are Antonio Corelli, an...
(1994), originally published as Corelli's Mandolin in the US - Red DogRed Dog (novel)Red Dog is a short novel by Louis de Bernières charting the life of a popular dog, a "Red Cloud Kelpie" nicknamed Red Dog, in Karratha, Western Australia. A movie based on the novel was filmed in Australia in 2011.-Part one:...
(2001) - Birds Without WingsBirds Without Wings (novel)Birds Without Wings is a novel by Louis de Bernières, written in 2004. Narrated by various characters, it tells the tragic love story of Philothei and Ibrahim. It also chronicles the rise of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the 'Father of the Turkish Nation'...
(2004) - A Partisan's Daughter (2008)
- Notwithstanding: Stories from an English Village (2009)
Short Fiction
- Labels (Novella) (1993)
- Stupid Gringo (1997)
- Our Lady of Beauty (1998)
- A Day out for Mehmet Erbil (1999)
- Sunday Morning at the Centre of the World (play for voices)Sunday Morning at the Centre of the World (play for voices)Sunday Morning at the Centre of the World was written by Louis De Bernieres in 2001 and released as a play for voices.It received one performance in a BBC Radio Three broadcast some years ago, but is usually only performed, or studied, by A-level or GCSE students of drama or performing arts.Sunday...
(2001) - Gunter Weber's Confession (2001)
External links
- ITV Local Anglia's interview with Louis de Bernières May 2008
- Louis de Bernieres own web site
- At home with Louis de Bernieres interview with The Times.
- Louis de Bernières: 'Having a book made into a film is like losing your virginity' - Features, Books - The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...