Naples '44

By: Norman Lewis

Narrated by: Nicholas Boulton

Naples '44 is an unflinching autobiographical account of a year in Naples after the armistice and Allied landings in Sorrento in 1943.

Working as a British counterintelligence officer under the Allied occupation, Lewis documents the rich pageant of life in the city and its surrounding areas. There is suffering and squalor: Criminal gangs are on the rise, along with typhus and black market commerce, and the female population is forced into part-time prostitution, simply to obtain food. Corruption is rife as a Genovese crime family member makes his way into the US army administration, and local hospitals, short on supplies, buy equipment back from those who stole it. There is farce and humor, too, witnessed in the Roman uncle paid handsomely simply to appear at funerals and lend an air of gravitas, and in Lewis's own experience of vetting proposed marriages between British soldiers and local women. Unsparing, penetrating and profoundly humane, Naples '44 is a moving portrait of the costs of war, and the resilience of a society under extreme stress.

Download the accompanying reference guide.©1978 Norman Lewis (P)2019 Naxos Audiobooks

Sharply observed, beautifully written, and deeply humane

Remarkable. Moving and apt description of Naples immediately after occupation and the vicissitudes and inhumanity of war & military bureaucracies.

Good to read but sad

Helped me further what happened during world was 2 in a variety of locations. More honesty than many other histories. But it reminds me what happens when we see others as less than both during and after. So much mistreatment—and I’m talking about members of the Allied forces. When we see ourselves as better than others and treat others as less than and disposable we just create unending pain and future negative situations for all. But important to read because, especially now, with people trying to put others in negative circumstances in this country—the US, it is important to fight against these people and their efforts.

A vivid and poetic journal from the immediate aftermath of war.

He was a talented writer and observer whose account left me astonished at how little I actually knew about Italy and World War II. Military battles, strategies, equipment, facts and figures, can’t touch such an honest account of daily life when the worst happens.

Review = Good!

Unique perspective on historical events from a corner of the war that doesn’t always get much attention

Poignant and well-told true story

Poignant and well-told true story. A perfect window into post- WW2 Italy. And the audio performance was superb.