He was interested in everything, fearless, shrewd and undaunted by hardship. He was also a polyglot, sexually unorthodox, a keen observer of social customs and a political reformer. He was conservative but mixed freely with all classes, a great gentleman, yet democratic and approachable, with an unsentimental human warmth. Reading Douglas’ books, with their striking capacity to preserve the tone, the language, the unpredictability of a conversation between friends, is a genuine human experience – heartening, instructive and entertaining. aus beschreibung von Old Calabria

Norman Douglas (1868 – 1952) entstammte der adeligen schottischen Industriellenfamilie, welche in Thüringen bei Bludenz eine Baumwollspinnerei und –weberei betrieb. (...) literarische Werke, die ihn als Vertreter des Genres Reiseliteratur ausweisen. (...) Er schrieb ausschließlich in englischer Sprache trotz vorzüglicher Beherrschung etwa des Deutschen und des Italienischen. So ist er in der englischsprachigen Literatur fest verankert. Vorarlberger Landesmuseum

His travel books show a love of landscapes, a naturalist's eye glancing over the surroundings, an ear for anecdotes about the legends and people of the land, and loose, reflective meditations. aus Norman Douglas

»You can tell the ideals of a nation by its advertisements.« aus South Wind

»Bouillabaisse is only good cooked by the French, who, if they care to try, could produce an excellent and nutritious substitute out of cigar stumps and empty matchboxes.« aus Siren Land

Venus in the Kitchen

was ist bei herrn zitta los?