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Book review: Semi-Invisible Man: The Life Of Norman Lewis
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July 23, 2009
By James Mitchell
Semi-Invisible Man: The Life of Norman Lewis
by Julian Evans
Picador R139
A serious literary biography of an author who never quite made it despite 15 generally well-regarded novels and 17 other, mainly travel, books.
Well-regarded by Graham Greene and Auberon Waugh, with the former calling Evans "one of the best writers… of our century" and the latter believing him "the greatest travel writer alive, if not the greatest since Marco Polo".
He didn't just reflect others, but lived vigorously himself. In his time he raced Bugattis and served as an intelligence officer in the Italian campaign of World War 2. Minor faults included an excess of invention about his background, and snobbish anti-Americanism.
Julian Evans knew Lewis well, edited three of his books and spent two decades following his trail to exotic corners. Result: even if you didn't know the writer, fascinating biography. - James Mitchell
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