Amazon.com Review
Francine Prose might well find herself on one of those lists of oddly appropriate congruency between name and occupation. Indeed the prolific writer has demonstrated an enviable versatility in her witty fictional works and journalistic forays. Yet at her best, her voice is far from prosaic, conveying the distilled, sympathetic wisdom of the unfaltering observer. That characteristic pervades her treasurably evocative, literary travel memoir Sicilian Odyssey–part of the ongoing National Geographic Directions Series. A few months after the trauma of 9-11, Prose embarked with her husband on a trip to Sicily “partly to discover what this island has learned and can teach us about the triumph of beauty over violence, of life over death.” She colorfully invokes the profuse legends and myths linked with Sicily (Homers “Island of the Sun” where Odysseus washed ashore) as a classical backdrop to her own odyssey, which at times in fact assumes the character of a trip back to a timeless, pre-modern way of life. Prose is especially effective at threading into her narrative fascinating items of referenceartistic, historical, and sociopoliticalwithout appearing didactic. She packs an extraordinary amount of information into her account: art historical observations (including a trenchant interpretation of Caravaggios disturbing “The Burial of St. Lucy”), the spectacle of religious ecstatics, accounts of culinary traditions, political intrigue, and memorable character sketches of people engaged in everyday habits, with the novelists touch for the telling detail. Throughout, Prose is keen to capture Sicilys vacillating moodsits cheerful colors as well as its melancholy strainas a place that “has seen countless cycles of violence and peace, of poverty and prosperity, of horror and beauty”and yet embodies humanitys will to survive. As the ultimate travel guide, her prose conveys the sights, sounds, smells, and sense of the place with vicarious finesse. –Thomas May
Prose is so taken with Sicily, the beauty of its landscapes and art, the complexities of its mythology and history, the earthiness of its food, the intensity of its people, she thinks this “singular island” is where she “would love to be reborn–preferably as a big, handsome, life-loving, prosperous Sicilian guy.” This empathic fancy is indicative of her receptivity to the spirit of this ancient land. A penetrating and quick-witted novelist and critic, Prose proves to be an agile, philosophical, and entrancing travel writer as she explores the narrow streets of medieval mountaintop towns, mosaic-adorned churches, and the noisy streets of Palermo and embarks on an equally compelling inner journey as she contemplates the waves of violence and destruction that have assailed this legendary place and the surges in creativity and life-affirming celebration that counter them. Cogent and provocative observations of architecture, paintings, and carnivals, as well as thoughtful assessments of Sicilian literature and the valiant work of contemporary photographer Letizia Battaglia, all revolve around Prose’s fascination with the interleaving of the past and present and the “essence” of Sicilian life, the ability “to transmute the horrors of history into something extraordinary and profoundly alive.” Donna Seaman
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About the Author
Francine Prose is the author of ten novels, including Bigfoot Dreams, Primitive People, and Blue Angels, and two collections of her short fiction. Prose’s essays have appeared in The New York Times, Harper’s Magazine, Elle, GQ, The Wall Street Journal, and The New Yorker. She is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including Guggenheim and Fulbright fellowships, and a PEN translation prize. She lives in New York City with her husband.
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