Louis de Bernieres

Louis de Bernières Family

De Bernières and his partner of 11 years, theater director Cathy Gill, separated in 2009. The split was difficult and resulted in a custody battle over their children, Robin and Sophie. The children were extremely young, just 4 and 1 years old when their parents separated.

At first, Gill gained full custody of the children. Eventually, de Bernières earned equal custodial rights for his children, but it was not an easy battle. De Bernières said he had nightmares about losing his children for years, and he bemoans the sexism in family law. Because of his struggles with custody battles, de Bernières has become an avid equal-rights advocate for fathers seeking equal custody.

Fig. 3: De Bernières suffered a difficult custody battle and now advocates for equality in family law, pixabay

Louis de Bernières Novels

Two of de Bernières's most famous novels are Captain Corelli's Mandolin (1994) and Red Dog (2002).

Captain Corelli's Mandolin (1994)

Captain Corelli's Mandolin is set on the Greek island of Cephalonia towards the beginning of World War II. Pelagia lives on the island with her father, Dr. Iannis, from whom she learns about medicine and healing. When the Italians invade under Benito Mussolini, Pelagia becomes involved with the Italian army officer Antonio Corelli. Pelagia's fiancé comes home from the war and she realizes she no longer loves him, which makes him hostile.

When German forces invade the island and begin a massacre of Italian forces, Corelli leaves his beloved mandolin behind with Pelagia, telling her he will be back to marry her. After the occupation of the island is over, though, Corelli doesn't return, and Pelagia raises an abandoned baby alone. At the end of the novel, Corelli comes back to the island as a famous mandolin player. He reveals he saw Pelagia with a baby and assumed she was married, so he left.

Red Dog (2002)

De Bernières wrote Red Dog after seeing a statue of a dog in Western Australia. The novella follows the life of Red Cloud Kelpie, a dog who becomes a legend and a beloved part of his town. Red Dog leaves his original owners at a picnic and befriends John, who is living in a small but rapidly growing mining town. Red Dog survives being shot, and the locals fall in love with him as he builds his own independent life.

When John dies, Red Dog wanders around looking for him. He spends time with his other friend, Nancy, but she is thrown out of her caravan park because dogs are not allowed. The townspeople come together and kick the cruel caretakers out of town. They can't, however, save Red Dog after he is poisoned. After his death, they build a monument in honor of him.

Fig. 4: Red Dog is based on a real dog that lived in Western Australia in the 1970s, unsplash

Louis de Bernières Poetry

De Bernières's love of literature first started with poetry, despite ironically having only three published poetry collections compared to 11 novels. De Bernières has said he plans to write more poetry in the years to come. Two of his poetry collections include Imagining Alexandria (2013), and Of Love and Desire (2016).

The poems in Imagining Alexandria are largely influenced by the Mediterranean region. Examining themes like nostalgia, sexuality, and the past, this collection is a homage to one of de Bernières's favorite poets, Constantine Cavafy. De Bernières read the Greek poet's work every day for 30 years. Imagining Alexandria includes illustrations by Donald Sammut.

Of Love and Desire, also illustrated by Sammut, is a collection of love poems spanning de Bernières's entire life. The poems focus on all aspects of love—not just connection, lust, and happiness—but also rejection, heartbreak, and dejection.

Fig. 5: Of Love and Desire is a collection of love poems, unsplash

Louis de Bernières Quotes

Below are some of de Bernières's most famous quotes.

In this famous quote from Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Dr. Iannis discusses the true nature of love with his daughter, who is yearning for Corelli. At this section in the novel, Pelagia is still engaged to Mandras, but her father can sense the passion between her and the captain. At the end of the novel, Pelagia and Corelli do not end up together because fate drags them apart. Even when they have the opportunity to get back together, Corelli stays away because he is jealous of the husband he believes Pelagia has.

Also spoken by Dr. Iannis in Captain Corelli's Mandolin, this quote speaks to the necessity for humanity. While everyone else on the island fights one another over different opinions and ideologies, Dr. Iannis treats everyone without discrimination. He believes people should care more about the well-being of one another as individuals rather than how they fit into some abstract philosophy.

This quote is from chapter 50 of the novel Birds Without Wings (2004). In this quote, de Bernières speaks to the circular condition of humanity and history. Everything comes back around and informs the "history" of the next generation. It is reminiscent of the adage "History is written by the victors." Contemporary understanding of history (and even current events) is not based on indisputable fact but on how society has been socialized to perceive events. This makes it difficult to know who is right or wrong, as history is not black and white. But it also reminds readers that, at its core, humanity and its history are biased and subjective, so we should treat everyone as equal regardless of their history.