Captain Corelli's Mandolin, which was also called Corelli's Mandolin in the United States, is a book written by Louis de Bernières from Britain. It was published in 1994 and takes place on the Greek island of Cephalonia during World War II, when Italy and Germany controlled the area. In 2003, this book was ranked number 19 in the BBC's survey called The Big Read.
Synopsis
Dr. Iannis lives on the Greek island of Cephalonia with his daughter Pelagia, who learns about medicine by watching her father work. Pelagia falls in love with a young fisherman named Mandras, and they plan to marry just as World War II begins. Mandras decides to fight on the front lines, leaving Pelagia waiting for letters that never come. Meanwhile, Carlo Guercio, who hides his feelings for another man named Francesco, fights with the Italian army invading Albania. He watches Francesco die at the hands of Greek soldiers.
In 1941, Italian and German soldiers are stationed on Cephalonia, where the local people treat them poorly. Pelagia refuses to accept them, especially when a young Italian captain named Antonio Corelli moves into her home. Mandras returns from the war, but Pelagia no longer loves him. Mandras leaves for the mainland and joins a group of Greek rebels called ELAS. This group harms civilians and attacks other rebel groups, even though they share similar beliefs to the enemy forces.
When Italy surrenders, their former German allies attack them. After defeating the Italian soldiers, the Germans carry out a large execution on Cephalonia. Carlo Guercio saves Corelli’s life by shielding him during the execution, but Guercio dies. Corelli is helped to safety by a Greek man and taken to Pelagia’s home. Corelli must hide from the Germans, who are ordered to kill any surviving Italians.
Once he is well, Corelli escapes to Italy, promising Pelagia he will return after the war and marry her. He leaves his mandolin, named “Antonia,” with Pelagia for safekeeping.
After the war ends, communists take control of the island. Dr. Iannis is seen as a thinker and is sent to a camp with some friends who protest against his treatment. Mandras returns, now able to read and influenced by communist ideas. He reads Pelagia’s letters and learns she no longer loves him. He tries to force himself on her, but fails. Mandras’ mother discovers what happened and disowns him. Ashamed, Mandras kills himself. His mother comforts Pelagia and stays close to her for the rest of her life.
Later, a baby girl is left on Pelagia’s doorstep, and Pelagia adopts her. Dr. Iannis returns, deeply shaken. The girl, named Antonia, grows up and marries. She later has a son named Iannis, honoring the doctor.
Years later, Corelli, now a famous mandolin player, visits Pelagia one final time.
Real story and precedents
Bernières has said that the character of Corelli is not based on Amos Pampaloni, who was an Italian artillery captain in Cephalonia at that time, even though their lives had many similar events. Pampaloni survived an execution, joined the Greek People's Liberation Army, which was part of the Partisan movement during the Greek civil war, and fought alongside them in Epirus for 14 months. In 2000, Pampaloni spoke with The Guardian newspaper and stated that the novel did not accurately show the Greek partisan movement.
The novel also has some similarities to another book called Bandiera bianca a Cefalonia, written by Marcello Venturi, published in 1963, and translated into English as The White Flag in 1969.
Reception
The Orlando Sentinel described Corelli's Mandolin as a "very traditional" novel, calling it "a story filled with real events and facts, including opinions and different viewpoints, with no attention to popular artistic trends."
The Cleveland Plain Dealer highlighted the novel's "many emotional layers," noting that "like Puccini, de Bernières can create a beautiful story filled with both pain and gladness."
Gene Hyde wrote, "To fight against impossible challenges and resist meaninglessness, especially during war, is a very hard but honorable task. The strength of Bernières' unique and touching novel is his belief that hope comes from these idealistic efforts."
Adaptations
The novel was adapted into four 45-minute radio plays. These were broadcast on BBC Radio 4 from September 17 to 20, 2007. The radio plays were chosen as a "Book of the Week" on the same station several years earlier. The titles of the episodes were "A Pea in the Ear," "Invasion of the Italians," "Looking for Snails," and "Earthquake." Tom Goodman-Hill narrated the plays. Other actors included Celia Meiras as Pelagia, Stephen Greif as Dr. Iannis, and Daniel Philpott as Corelli. Alison Stephens composed and performed the mandolin music. David Hunter produced and directed the radio plays. Additional cast members were:
- 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
A film version of Captain Corelli's Mandolin was released in 2001. Nicolas Cage played Captain Corelli, John Hurt played Dr. Iannis, and Penélope Cruz played Pelagia, Dr. Iannis’s daughter. The film was directed by John Madden. It also featured Christian Bale and Irene Papas.
In 2011, the Mercury Theatre in Colchester, England, and the Kote Marjanishvili Theatre in Tbilisi, Georgia, produced a stage adaptation of the novel. The adaptation was written by Mike Maran and directed by Levan Tsuladze. This production used both live actors and puppetry. It premiered in Georgia at the Tbilisi International Festival in October 2011 and later moved to the Mercury Theatre.
A new stage adaptation, written by Rona Munro and directed by Melly Still, was previewed at the Leicester Curve from April 13 to 20, 2019. It opened at the Rose Theatre, Kingston, from April 23 to May 12, and toured to several other theaters in the UK, including Theatre Royal, Bath, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, King’s Theatre, Edinburgh, and Theatre Royal, Glasgow. After its UK tour, the production moved to London’s West End at the Harold Pinter Theatre from July 4 to August 31, 2019. Alex Mugnaioni played Captain Antonio Corelli, and Madison Clare played Pelagia.
In 2024, CYRESSA editions announced the release of a graphic novel adaptation of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. This version is based on Louis de Bernières’ best-selling novel and was produced by Arnaud Ribadeau Dumas. The graphic novel includes detailed illustrations of Kefalonian landscapes. This collaboration combines the author’s writing style with the artistic skills of the French illustrator.