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':''For the 2001 film, see [[Captain Corelli's Mandolin (film)]]''. {{Infobox Book | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Novels or Wikipedia:WikiProject_Books --> | name = Corelli's Mandolin | title_orig = | translator = | image = [[File:Captain Corelli's Mandolin 1994 book cover.jpg|200px]] | image_caption = 1st Edition front cover | author = [[Louis de Bernières]] | cover_artist = | country = United Kingdom | language = English | series = | genre = [[Historical novel|Historical]], [[romance novel|Romance]], [[War novel]] | publisher = | release_date = 1993 | media_type = Print ([[Hardcover|Hardback]] & [[Paperback]]) | pages = | isbn = | preceded_by = | followed_by = }} '''Corelli's Mandolin,''' alternatively called '''Captain Corelli's Mandolin,''' is a [[1993 in literature|1993]] [[novel]] written by [[Louis de Bernières]] which takes place on the island of Cephallonia ([[Kefalonia]]) during the [[Axis occupation of Greece during World War II|Italian and German occupation]] of [[World War II]]. The main characters are Antonio Corelli, an Italian captain, and Pelagia, the daughter of the local physician, Dr. Iannis. An important event in the novel is the [[Massacre of the Acqui Division|massacre of Italian troops by the Germans]] in September 1943. ==Synopsis== ===Major characters=== *Dr. Iannis - The island's unofficial, unlicensed doctor, who spends much of his time writing about the history of Cephallonia. He is respected by the community, although regarded as a bit odd, and is thanked for his medical services by means of food and drink. *Pelagia - Dr. Iannis's daughter who is not like the other women on the island (she is well educated and has a lot of respect from her father), who at first falls in love with Mandras, then later with Antonio. *Antonio Corelli - An Italian captain with a love for music and life. He detests the war, and gradually falls in love with Pelagia; but the war inevitably tears them apart again. *Mandras - A young, handsome fisherman who falls in love with Pelagia, only to destroy their relationship by going to fight in the war, and ultimately humiliating himself. *Carlo Piero Guercio - A good-natured homosexual Italian soldier who falls in love with Francesco only to lose him to the war. He later falls in love with Corelli and sacrifices his life to save the Captain's. ===Major themes=== ''Corelli's Mandolin'' explores many varieties of [[love]]. We see the initial [[lust]]-based love between Pelagia and Mandras, which burns out as a result of the war, and the change it prompts in both of them. Corelli and Pelagia's slow-developing love is the central focus of the novel. Love is described by Dr. Iannis as "what is left when the passion has gone", and it certainly appears that this criterion is fulfilled by the love of Corelli and Pelagia. The paternal love of Iannis for Pelagia is also strong and is heavily compared and contrasted to that of Corelli. The theme of [[music]] is predominant, offering a direct contrast to the horror and destruction that the war brings, showing how something beautiful can arise from something horrible. The [[war]] is described in graphic detail, particularly the death of Francesco. It is responsible for the fall of Mandras and Weber, the deaths of Carlo and Francesco, and the separation of Pelagia and Corelli. Throughout the novel, de Bernières takes a harsh view of all forms of [[totalitarianism]], condemning [[Fascism]], [[Nazism]], and [[Communism]] alike. De Bernières described this as a novel about "what happens to the little people when megalomaniacs get busy." Another theme of the novel is the study of [[history]]. Dr. Iannis spends much of his spare time attempting to write a history of Cephallonia, but often finds his personal feelings and biases running through whatever he writes. There is also a strong feeling against 'professional' history which is suggested by Carlo Guercio's statement that "I know that if we [the axis] win then there will be stories about mass graves in London and vice versa". This is reinforced by De Bernières' quotation that: "history ought to be made up of the stories of ordinary people only." From this viewpoint it can be seen that de Bernières as very much a [[Historical revisionism|revisionist]] historian, considering social history superior to that of political. De Bernières takes an ambiguous attitude toward [[heroism]] and [[villainy]] in the novel: many of the characters, despite committing atrocities, are viewed as human victims of bad circumstances. For example, the character Günter Weber carries a great degree of sympathy from the writer, even though he fully engages with the [[Nazism|Nazi]] ideology and is guilty of taking part in the killing of an [[Massacre of the Aqui Brigade|entire Italian division]]. Despite having become friends with many of the men, he must follow orders. Similarly, Mandras is guilty of [[murder]], torture and [[rape]], yet the author portrays him sympathetically: "just another life tarnished... by war." == References == Near the end of the novel (Chapter 62), Pelagia receives a photograph from Günter Weber with a German passage from [[Goethe]]'s "[[Faust]]" (also a very popular German ''Lied'', set to music by Schubert: ''Gretchen am Spinnrad'') written on the back. It reads: <blockquote> Meine Ruh ist hin,<br /> Mein Herz ist schwer,<br /> Ich finde sie nimmer<br /> und nimmermehr. </blockquote> Which translates as: <blockquote> My peace is gone,<br /> My heart is sore,<br /> I will find it never<br /> and nevermore. </blockquote> == Awards == 1995 - [[Commonwealth Writers Prize]] for Best Book 2004 - 19th place on [[The Big Read]] == Adaptations == === Radio === The novel was adapted as four 45-minute radio plays from 17–20 September 2007 on BBC Radio 4, having been chosen as a popular 'Book of the Week' on the same station some years earlier. The episode titles were "A Pea in the Ear," "Invasion of the Italians," "Looking for Snails" and "Earthquake." It was narrated by [[Tom Goodman-Hill]], with [[Celia Meiras]] as Pelagia, [[Stephen Greif]] as Dr Iannis, [[Daniel Philpott]] as Corelli. The mandolin music for it was composed and performed by [[Alison Stephens]], and the production was produced and directed by [[David Hunter (director)|David Hunter]]. Other cast members included: *Carlo - [[Anthony Psaila]] *Mandras - [[Chris Pavlo]] *Velisarios - [[Alexi Kaye Campbell]] *Father Arsenios - [[Alex Zorbas]] *Lemoni - [[Ania Gordon]] *Drosoula - [[Anna Savva]] *Hector - [[Nitin Ganatra]] *Officer - [[Simon Treves]] === Film === {{Main|Captain Corelli's Mandolin (film)}} A film version of ''Corelli's Mandolin'', titled ''Captain Corelli's Mandolin'', was released in 2001, with [[Nicolas Cage]] as the Italian Captain Corelli, [[John Hurt]] as Dr. Iannis, and [[Penélope Cruz]] as his daughter, Pelagia. It also starred [[Christian Bale]] and [[Irene Papas]]. It was directed by [[John Madden (director)|John Madden]]. It was received poorly by critics and the general public. ==External links== {{Empty section|date=July 2010}} ==References== {{Reflist}} [[Category:1993 novels]] [[Category:English novels]] [[Category:History of Greece during World War II]] [[Category:Novels by Louis de Bernières]] [[Category:World War II novels]] [[Category:Novels adapted into films]] [[de:Corellis Mandoline]] [[fr:La Mandoline du capitaine Corelli]] [[he:המנדולינה של קפטן קורלי]] [[sv:Kapten Corellis Mandolin]]'