Norman Douglas
Norman Douglas (8 December 1868 – 7 February 1952) was a British writer of fiction, essays and travel books. He was born in Thüringen, Austria, grew up in Scotland and was educated in England and Germany.[1] Much of his writing concerns Italy, where he lived for substantial periods.[2]
Life and writing
Douglas worked in the British diplomatic service before pursuing a literary career. From 1912 to 1916 he was an assistant editor of the English Review in London. His early travel books include Siren Land (1911), Fountains in the Sand (1912) and Old Calabria (1915).[2]
He left London for Capri in 1916. His novel South Wind appeared in 1917, followed by further fiction, essays, travel writing and autobiographical work. Alone (1921) is a collection of essays about travel in Italy.[2][3] During the Second World War he returned to London, subsequently moving back to Capri in 1946.[2]
Abuse of children
Douglas sexually exploited children. Historian Rachel Hope Cleves’s biography Unspeakable (2020) examines that abuse and the social networks and attitudes that enabled it.[4]
References
- ↑ Rauner Special Collections Library, Dartmouth College, “Douglas, Norman, 1868–1952”, biographical note. Accessed 10 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University, Guide to the Norman Douglas Collection, GEN MSS 427, biographical note, p. 5, and “Alone” entry, p. 10. Accessed 10 October 2026.
- ↑ Sally Collins, Representations of Italy and Italians in British Fiction and Travel Writing, 1900–1930 (PhD thesis, Goldsmiths, University of London, 2006), pp. 125–127.
- ↑ University of Chicago Press, publisher’s description of Rachel Hope Cleves, Unspeakable: A Life beyond Sexual Morality (2020). Accessed 10 October 2026.