Robin Thomas

As a lover of Naples, I have always felt a kinship with other enthusiasts of the city.  Shirley Hazzard understands this wonderful, chaotic, dirty, beautiful place as well as any living person.  In conversations with her in Naples and New York, she and I have shared many stories about the siren city.  These essays distill the essence of many such conversations held with countless others over the years.  Written by her and her late husband, Francis Steegmuller, this lyric and beautiful work is one of the greatest love letters to a place that I know.