Return to Sicily

Author: Norman Lewis
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-12-01
Features: In 1964, Norman Lewis wrote The Honorable Society, one of the best works on Sicily and the Mafia. In 1998, he returned to Sicily and wrote this book, the result of a lifelong obsession with all things Sicilian. This obsession is evident in every chapter of In Sicily. Throughout the book are the Mafia, as well as Lewis's friendships with police, journalists, and prominent figures, along with discussions of the landscape and language, his memories of his first wife's father (a professional gambler, a descendant of princes, and a member of the Sicilian Alliance), Sicily's evolving sexual attitudes, the influence of African immigrants (especially the sex trade), Palermo and its decaying palaces, and various strange superstitions, witches, bandits, and murders.