South Wind (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. A Mediterranean Satire of Expatriates, Moral Skeptics, and Island TemptationsBy Norman Douglas
Length15h 53m
About this audiobook
Published in 1917, South Wind is Norman Douglas's most celebrated novel: a sunlit, ironic comedy of ideas set on the fictional Mediterranean island of Nepenthe, transparently inspired by Capri. Its loose plot follows Bishop Thomas Heard among expatriates, eccentrics, aesthetes, and moral skeptics, while the island's warm sirocco seems to dissolve northern certainties. Elegant, conversational, and epigrammatic, the book belongs to the tradition of fin-de-siècle cosmopolitan satire, blending travel writing, philosophical dialogue, and social comedy. Douglas was peculiarly equipped to write such a work. Born in 1868 and long resident in Italy, he had served briefly in diplomacy before becoming a writer, producing travel books such as Old Calabria. His intimate knowledge of Mediterranean landscapes, expatriate society, classical allusion, and cultivated irreverence shaped South Wind's atmosphere and arguments. The novel reflects his lifelong resistance to Victorian moralism and his fascination with pagan vitality, sensual intelligence, and intellectual freedom. Readers drawn to plot-driven fiction may find South Wind leisurely, but those who relish wit, atmosphere, and urbane provocation will discover a singular masterpiece. It is especially recommended to admirers of Mediterranean literature, satirical dialogue, and novels that question moral convention with elegance rather than solemnity.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 3.8 (557)
Includes Goodreads, Amazon
GenreHumor, General Fiction
Length15 hrs 53 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateNov 25, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
25CHAPTER XXI
2Introduction
26CHAPTER XXII
3Synopsis
27CHAPTER XXIII
4Historical Context
28CHAPTER XXIV
5CHAPTER I
29CHAPTER XXV
Show all chaptersShow less
6CHAPTER II
30CHAPTER XXVI
7CHAPTER III
31CHAPTER XXVII
8CHAPTER IV
32CHAPTER XXXIV
9CHAPTER V
33CHAPTER XXIX
10CHAPTER VI
34CHAPTER XXX
11CHAPTER VII
35CHAPTER XXXI
12CHAPTER VIII
36CHAPTER XXXII
13CHAPTER IX
37CHAPTER XXXIII
14CHAPTER X
38CHAPTER XXXIV
15CHAPTER XI
39CHAPTER XXXV
16CHAPTER XII
40CHAPTER XXXVI
17CHAPTER XIII
41CHAPTER XXXVII
18CHAPTER XIV
42CHAPTER XXXVIII
19CHAPTER XV
43CHAPTER XXXIX
20CHAPTER XVI
44CHAPTER XL
21CHAPTER XVII
45Analysis
22CHAPTER XVIII
46Reflection
23CHAPTER XIX
47Memorable Quotes
24CHAPTER XX
More from Norman Douglas
Fountains in the Sand: Rambles Among the Oases of Tunisia (Annotated)Norman Douglas6h 17m$2 · $0.00
Fountains in the Sand: Rambles Among the Oases of TunisiaNorman Douglas6h 8m3.5 (87)$2 · $0.00
Old CalabriaNorman Douglas16h 59m4.0 (562)$2 · $0.00
TogetherNorman Douglas4h 55m3.0 (10)$1 · $0.00
AloneNorman Douglas8h 49m2.9 (15)$1 · $0.00
Lost In TranslationAudrey Davis9h 15m4.4 (235)Free
Going PostalTerry Pratchett13h 36m4.5 (163.8K)$33 · $0.00
Woman UninterruptedBrodie Kane7h 1m4.6 (562)$24 · $0.00
1984 & Animal Farm (Annotated)George Orwell15h 54m4.5 (220.8K)$3.99 · $0.00
Kingsblood Royal (Annotated)Sinclair Lewis14h 42m4.6 (264)$2 · $0.00
This Is Going to HurtAdam Kay5h 47m4.4 (444.7K)$24 · $0.00
You Will Get Through This NightDaniel Howell6h 56m4.4 (11.8K)$24 · $0.00
Northanger Abbey (Annotated)Jane Austen10h 7m4.5 (1.6K)$2 · $0.00
My Dear HamiltonStephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie23h 7m4.4 (63.6K)$46 · $0.00
THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS & SCREWTAPE PROPOSES A TOAST (Annotated)C. S. Lewis5h 6m4.4 (471K)$2 · $0.00
BufferingHannah Hart5h 55m4.4 (12.4K)$24 · $0.00
The Office BFFsJenna Fischer, Angela Kinsey8h 26m4.3 (45.4K)$26 · $0.00
The Collected Stories of Dorothy ParkerDorothy Parker8h 36m4.3 (13.6K)$1 · $0.00
LambChristopher Moore15h 22m4.3 (211.3K)$33 · $0.00
#IMomSoHardKristin Hensley, Jen Smedley7h 19m4.3 (7.3K)$24 · $0.00
Mixed PlateJo Koy8h 18m4.3 (7.1K)$26 · $0.00
Over the TopJonathan Van Ness5h 50m4.3 (87.3K)$24 · $0.00
It Never EndsTom Scharpling8h 53m4.4 (2.3K)$20 · $0.00
The Importance of Being EarnestOscar Wilde2h 31m4.3 (475.9K)$1.20 · $0.00
More Tales of the CityArmistead Maupin8h 23m4.3 (22.6K)$26 · $0.00
WhistlerAnn Patchett10h 45m4.6 (4.6K)$29 · $0.00
Demon CopperheadBarbara Kingsolver21h 3m4.5 (949.4K)$46 · $0.00
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee12h 18m4.5 (7.4M)$29 · $0.00
Remarkably Bright CreaturesShelby Van Pelt11h 17m4.4 (1.7M)$29 · $0.00
Black History CollectionFrederick Douglass, Harriet Ann Jacobs, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois27h 9m4.6 (2.6K)$18 · $0.00
The Old Man and the Sea (Annotated)Ernest Hemingway4h 27m4.6 (1.4K)$2 · $0.00
White HotIlona Andrews13h 18m4.5 (136.9K)$5 · $0.00
The Ghost by the Billabong (The Matilda Saga, #5)Jackie French14h 58m4.6 (773)$33 · $0.00
Cast in BloodMichelle Sagara16h 35m4.6 (607)$33 · $0.00
The Captain Blood Trilogy (Annotated)Rafael Sabatini29h 20m4.6 (1K)$3 · $0.00
Ship of the Line (Annotated)Cecil Louis Troughton Smith11h 13m4.6 (1K)$2 · $0.00
The George Orwell CollectionGeorge Orwell24h 46m4.5 (14.4K)$12 · $0.00
Time RegainedMarcel Proust15h 38m4.5 (9.2K)$2 · $0.00
Driving ForceElle James4h 58m4.6 (407)$20 · $0.00
When God Calls the HeartBrian Bird, Michelle Cox3h 24m4.6 (439)$10 · $0.00
Five Little IndiansMichelle Good10h 34m4.5 (64.5K)$29 · $0.00
Lolth's WarriorR. A. Salvatore13h 20m4.6 (2.4K)$33 · $0.00
The Things We Cannot SayKelly Rimmer13h 48m4.5 (359.1K)$33 · $0.00
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du BoisHonoree Fanonne Jeffers29h 49m4.5 (58K)$8 · $0.00
Going PostalTerry Pratchett11h 23m4.5 (189.9K)$29 · $0.00
You may also like
Dead SoulsNikolai Vasilevich Gogol16h 1m4.1 (118.7K)$1 · $0.00
BOUVARD & PÉCUCHETGustave Flaubert13h 33m3.8 (4.9K)$1 · $0.00
Dead SoulsNikolai Vasilievich15h 38m4.1 (111.8K)$3.50 · $0.00
The Confidence-ManHerman Melville10h 38m3.6 (12.6K)$2 · $0.00
The Gilded Age, A Tale of TodayMark Twain15h 58m3.6 (21.5K)$1 · $0.00
SophistPlato5h 18m4.1 (4.3K)$2.30
Little DorritCharles Dickens36h 2m4.1 (134.1K)$2 · $0.00
Bouvard & Pécuchet (French Classics Series)Gustave Flaubert12h 24m3.9 (5.2K)$1.99 · $0.00
American NotesCharles Dickens9h 52m3.6 (7.5K)$12 · $0.00
Democracy: An American NovelHenry Adams7h 44m3.7 (1.5K)$0.60 · $0.00
Dead soulsNikolai Gogol15h 44m4.1 (110.8K)$3 · $0.00
THE CONFIDENCE-MAN (Modern Classics Series) (Annotated)Herman Melville12h 21m3.6 (3.6K)$1.99 · $0.00
SnuffTerry Pratchett11h 29m4.3 (79.3K)$29 · $0.00
Dead SoulsNikolai Gogol12h 58m4.1 (115.8K)$23
Dead SoulsNikolaj Gogol15h 38m4.1 (115.8K)$4.70 · $0.00
CharmidesPlato1h 13m3.8 (2K)$1.80 · $0.00
Midnight in Soap LakeMatthew Sullivan11h 50m3.9 (2.2K)$29 · $0.00
The Humbugs of the World (Annotated)P. T. Barnum13h 43m$2 · $0.00
Rise and Fall of Cesar Birotteau (Annotated)Honoré de Balzac12h 11m$2 · $0.00
Knocking the NeighborsGeorge Ade3h 32m3.8 (13)$2 · $0.00