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Norman
Douglas was born in Austria in 1868, of a noble Austrian family that owned
several cotton mills.
Even
if he was
a German native speaker, he soon learnt English as his second language. After an
unhappy experience in a school in Uppingham, he attended the Gymnasium in
Karlsruhe, where he learnt to speak Italian, studied classic literature and the
piano.
He
arrived in Capri in 1988 with his brother and, although his journey from Naples
hadn’t been very comfortable, he suddenly started climbing up the stacks,
catching six blue lizards that soon became part of his private collection.
Back
to Germany, he left the Gymnasium in 1889. Since he had a considerable financial
property, he decided to embark on diplomatic career, but as he wasn’t in
luck at once, he gave up.
He
began to visit Capri on his own and for short periods. He finally settled down
on the island only in autumn 1903, at first staying at Villa San Michele, Prince
Caracciolo’s property. In 1904 he published two monographs: one on the Grotta
Azzurra and the other on the situation of the forest on the island. After that,
in July 1906, his composition was enriched with three works concerning Capri’s
literature, Tiberio, the Saracens and the pirates.
He
had at heart every little curiosity about the island, so much that he wished to
create monographs for every field, but he soon realised
that the possible readers were very few.
He
tried for three times to have a house of his own, but no attempt ended well. He
travelled for several years, going first to Calabria and then to Tunisia. Back
to Capri in a very bad economic situation, he published his work “Siren
Land” in shortened edition. Indeed seven of the initial chapters were cut out
and the others appeared to be only adaptations of his old monographs.
Not
even this way he was able to obtain funds to build his own villa, so he was
compelled to sell it.
In
1912 he left the island to go back to London; he still had a little villa in
Capri, but he sold it a short time before the outbreak of the war. He went back
to the island in 1924 and made friend with the Mackenzies’ who wanted to know
him after being amazed at reading his works.
During
the war he wrote his most important work, “South Wind”, which contains many
elements of personal philosophy. Douglas began to write the story in London and
then continued it in Capri at Villa Behering, where Faith Mackenzie helped him
to type it. But he decided to finish the story in his London. The book was
published in 1916 and Douglas had the success he deserved, even if for a short
time, since in 1917 he was imprisoned and went through four hearings.
He
managed to leave London and found refuge in Florence, he published his work and
obtained a triumph.
In
1946 he decided to move definitively to Capri, and, as soon as he got there,
Cerio gave him a
little house in Unghia Marina, but above all Capri’s honorary citizenship.
He
went through difficult economic periods, but everything cleared up very quickly
and Douglas lived the last years of his life in comfort. The sight of some
wonderful sceneries of the island brought him to write “Footnote on Capri”,
an essay on the island made complete by photos that told its history, from its
origins up to nowadays. Unfortunately Douglas’ physical conditions were
worsening and, on the 9th of February, after a three days’ coma,
his end came.
It’s
still a mystery whether he committed suicide assuming an overdose of
sleeping-pills or whether he died of old age. The fact is that, the day after, a
long procession of the inhabitants of Capri headed by Edwin Cerio saw Douglas to
the non-Catholic cemetery and on his tombstone the following verses by Horatius
were engraved “Omnes eodem cogimur” (We’re all led to the same place). Norman
Douglas was born in Austria in 1868, of a noble Austrian family that owned
several cotton mills.
Even
if he was
a German native speaker, he soon learnt English as his second language. After an
unhappy experience in a school in Uppingham, he attended the Gymnasium in
Karlsruhe, where he learnt to speak Italian, studied classic literature and the
piano.
He
arrived in Capri in 1988 with his brother and, although his journey from Naples
hadn’t been very comfortable, he suddenly started climbing up the stacks,
catching six blue lizards that soon became part of his private collection.
Back
to Germany, he left the Gymnasium in 1889. Since he had a considerable financial
property, he decided to embark on diplomatic career, but as he wasn’t
in luck at once, he gave up.
He
began to visit Capri on his own and for short periods. He finally settled down
on the island only in autumn 1903, at first staying at Villa San Michele, Prince
Caracciolo’s property. In 1904 he published two monographs: one on the Grotta
Azzurra and the other on the situation of the forest on the island. After that,
in July 1906, his composition was enriched with three works concerning Capri’s
literature, Tiberio, the Saracens and the pirates.
He
had at heart every little curiosity about the island, so much that he wished to
create monographs for every field, but he soon realised
that the possible readers were very few.
He
tried for three times to have a house of his own, but no attempt ended well. He
travelled for several years, going first to Calabria and then to Tunisia. Back
to Capri in a very bad economic situation, he published his work “Siren
Land” in shortened edition. Indeed seven of the initial chapters were cut out
and the others appeared to be only adaptations of his old monographs.
Not
even this way he was able to obtain funds to build his own villa, so he was
compelled to sell it.
In
1912 he left the island to go back to London; he still had a little villa in
Capri, but he sold it a short time before the outbreak of the war. He went back
to the island in 1924 and made friend with the Mackenzies’ who wanted to know
him after being amazed at reading his works.
During
the war he wrote his most important work, “South Wind”, which contains many
elements of personal philosophy. Douglas began to write the story in London and
then continued it in Capri at Villa Behering, where Faith Mackenzie helped him
to type it. But he decided to finish the story in his London. The book was
published in 1916 and Douglas had the success he deserved, even if for a short
time, since in 1917 he was imprisoned and went through four hearings.
He
managed to leave London and found refuge in Florence, he published his work and
obtained a triumph.
In
1946 he decided to move definitively to Capri, and, as soon as he got there,
Cerio gave him a
little house in Unghia Marina, but above all Capri’s honorary citizenship.
He
went through difficult economic periods, but everything cleared up very quickly
and Douglas lived the last years of his life in comfort. The sight of some
wonderful sceneries of the island brought him to write “Footnote on Capri”,
an essay on the island made complete by photos that told its history, from its
origins up to nowadays. Unfortunately Douglas’ physical conditions were
worsening and, on the 9th of February, after a three days’ coma,
his end came.
It’s
still a mystery whether he committed suicide assuming an overdose of
sleeping-pills or whether he died of old age. The fact is that, the day after, a
long procession of the inhabitants of Capri headed by Edwin Cerio saw Douglas to
the non-Catholic cemetery and on his tombstone the following verses by Horatius
were engraved “Omnes eodem cogimur” (We’re all led to the same place).
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Axel Munthe