
Down to the Sunless Sea
A Troubled Samuel Taylor Coleridge in the Mediterranean
Liverpool University Press
Published on 6. June 2022
Book
Paperback/Softback
200 pages
978-1-78976-125-2 (ISBN)
Description
Down to the Sunless Sea explores the time Coleridge spent in
Gibraltar, Malta, Sicily and mainland Italy, where he had planned to
recover his health, escape the clutches of opium and gain inspiration
from the landscape; however, the reality would prove very different.
After his short sojourn in Gibraltar, Coleridge arrived in Malta, where
he became acquainted with the British Governor, Alexander Ball. He
settled into Maltese life, initially taking on the role of acting
Under-Secretary. Travelling to Sicily, Coleridge embraced the island's
landscapes but was shaken to find the opium poppy was an important local
crop. The Mediterranean would not prove the solution to his addiction.
He visited the Consul, G. F. Leckie, and was invited to stay with him at
a house on the site of Timoleon's Greek villa. The poet visited the
antiquities of Syracuse and at the opera house encountered the soprano,
Anna-Cecilia Bertozzi, nearly succumbing to her charms. Back in Malta,
he was offered rooms in the Treasury building (now the Casino Maltese)
and took up the post of Public Secretary. Legal pronouncements in
Italian bear Coleridge's signature. Leaving behind these matters of
state, he drifted through the Italian peninsula, engaging with a coterie
of artistic ex-pats when in Rome. His listless, half-hearted, and
financially embarrassed attempts at the Grand Tour included a narrow
escape from French troops. Coleridge's Mediterranean sojourn impacted on
his life and writing, not to mention his health, which saw a marked
decline, leading to his final years in Highgate under the roof of a
friendly doctor. Down to the Sunless Sea is a literary reflection on the fact that the sun-filled Mediterranean was not the tonic he had first imagined.
Gibraltar, Malta, Sicily and mainland Italy, where he had planned to
recover his health, escape the clutches of opium and gain inspiration
from the landscape; however, the reality would prove very different.
After his short sojourn in Gibraltar, Coleridge arrived in Malta, where
he became acquainted with the British Governor, Alexander Ball. He
settled into Maltese life, initially taking on the role of acting
Under-Secretary. Travelling to Sicily, Coleridge embraced the island's
landscapes but was shaken to find the opium poppy was an important local
crop. The Mediterranean would not prove the solution to his addiction.
He visited the Consul, G. F. Leckie, and was invited to stay with him at
a house on the site of Timoleon's Greek villa. The poet visited the
antiquities of Syracuse and at the opera house encountered the soprano,
Anna-Cecilia Bertozzi, nearly succumbing to her charms. Back in Malta,
he was offered rooms in the Treasury building (now the Casino Maltese)
and took up the post of Public Secretary. Legal pronouncements in
Italian bear Coleridge's signature. Leaving behind these matters of
state, he drifted through the Italian peninsula, engaging with a coterie
of artistic ex-pats when in Rome. His listless, half-hearted, and
financially embarrassed attempts at the Grand Tour included a narrow
escape from French troops. Coleridge's Mediterranean sojourn impacted on
his life and writing, not to mention his health, which saw a marked
decline, leading to his final years in Highgate under the roof of a
friendly doctor. Down to the Sunless Sea is a literary reflection on the fact that the sun-filled Mediterranean was not the tonic he had first imagined.
Reviews / Votes
'Down to the Sunless Sea: A Troubled Samuel Taylor Coleridge in the Mediterranean, by Andrew and Suzanne Edwards, is a welcome addition to the existing scholarly work. It provides the reader with a concise and highly engaging introduction to Coleridge in the Mediterranean, whilst also furnishing a tour d' horizon of Coleridge's post-Malta life and work. It further provides readers interested in tracing Coleridge's footsteps with a guide and critical commentary. This not only includes Coleridge's observations of landscape and people, but also sets out the social, political, and geo-political context to Coleridge's period in the Mediterranean.' Barry Hough, The Coleridge Bulletin 'Andrew and Suzanne Edwards have produced a book that will be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in Coleridge and/or the Mediterranean in the early 1800s. It is distinguished by a personal touch, as they travel in Coleridge's footsteps and give insights into these locations as they were then and as they are now, illustrating the book extensively with their own black and white photographs. It's pleasing, too, to find new voices bridging the gap between the scholarly study and popular enjoyment of Coleridge's life and works.' Gregory Leadbetter, European Romantic ReviewMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Liverpool
United Kingdom
Illustrations
illus
Dimensions
Height: 230 mm
Width: 155 mm
Weight
294 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78976-125-2 (9781789761252)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Andrew and Suzanne Edwards have contributed articles to numerous publications in the fields of travel and literature. Their books include Sicily: A Literary Guide for Travellers (2014), Andalucia: A Literary Guide for Travellers (2016), and His Master's Reflection: Travels with John Polidori, Lord Byron's Doctor (2018). Suzanne and Andrew Edwards have contributed articles to numerous publications in the fields of travel and literature. Their books include Sicily: A Literary Guide for Travellers (2014), Andalucia: A Literary Guide for Travellers (2016), and His Master's Reflection: Travels with John Polidori, Lord Byron's Doctor (2018).
Content
The Illustrations. ONE: Departure on the Speedwell. TWO: Strategising for Nelson in Malta. THREE: Sicily and the Prima Donna. FOUR: A Hand in Maltese Affairs. FIVE: The Grand Tourist Returns Home. SIX: Lectures and Legacy. Notes. Bibliography. Index