Captain Corelli's Island: Cephallonia Book

Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernières captures the flesh and feeling of the beautiful Greek island of Cephallonia. With Captain Corelli's Island, Andy and Terry Harris aim to complement the novel, adding the skeleton of history in text and photographs and giving body to this remarkable landscape. Andy Harris's text does indeed annotate de Bernières' charming depiction of Greek island life, deftly delivering on the difficult task of identifying historical touch points and the island's role in civilising the Mediterranean. On occasion Harris overextends a turn of a phrase and he is clearly frustrated by how much of the island's history has been reduced to rubble by earthquakes. Nevertheless he successfully depicts the evolution of the island, particular in light of the changes that tourism is bringing to villages such as Fiskardo. The photographs, by London-based travel photographer Terry Harris, are superb. They tell a story of the island that stands apart from both the journalist's and the novelist's accounts. His vibrant images are redolent of "Day in the Life" photography collections, in that they capture moments as well as monuments. The legendary quality of island light certainly helps his task, but the photos also reveal an affinity with the people: It's no surprise that Terry Harris has a home in the Cyclades. There is always a danger that visuals like photographs or movie images will disappoint a novel's fans. In this instance, we should feel fortunate to have both. --Kathleen BuckleyRead More