South Wind by Norman Douglas

First published: 1917

Type of work: Novel

Type of plot: Social satire

Time of plot: Early twentieth century

Locale: Island of Nepenthe

Principal characters

• Bishop Heard of Bampopo, an Anglican clergyman
• Mrs. Meadows, his cousin
• Don Francesco, a Catholic priest
• Mr. Van Koppen, an American millionaire
• Freddy Parker, the proprietor of a drinking club
• Mr. Keith, a hedonist
• Mr. Eames, an elderly scholar
• Count Caloveglia, an antiquarian
• Denis Phipps, a student
• Retlow (alias Muhlen), a blackguard

The Story:

Bishop Heard goes to Nepenthe to meet his cousin, Mrs. Meadows. Since her second husband was unable to leave his post in India, the bishop is to escort Mrs. Meadows and her child to England. The bishop himself is returning from ecclesiastical labors in Bampopo, Africa. The bishop is introduced to Nepenthe society by Don Francesco, a priest he met on the boat. The social leader is the American-born duchess of San Martino, who is about to join the Church through Don Francesco’s influence. Other figures are Mr. Keith, a wealthy hedonist; Denis Phipps, a frustrated college student; Mr. Eames, a faithful compiler of material for an annotated edition of a forgotten work on the Antiquities of Nepenthe; Count Caloveglia, an antiquarian interested in the Golden Age of Greece; and Freddy Parker, proprietor of a drinking club that serves a strange brand of whiskey bottled by his stepsister.

There is also much talk of some religious fanatics, disciples of an unwashed Russian mystic named Bazhakuloff. Because of a virile apostle, Peter, the group is favored by Madame Steynlin and has access to her villa by the sea. One of the few Englishwomen on the island is Miss Wilberforce, who frequently drinks to excess and undresses in the streets at odd times of the day and night. Fortunately, the bishop developed a tolerant point of view while living among African natives, and he is able to accept these strange characters as he finds them. Except for a festival in honor of Saint Dodekanus and a visit with his cousin, who does not seem pleased to see him, the first days of the bishop’s stay are uneventful. Then one of the old springs on the island suddenly dries up, and the natives report several unusual births. Next, Mr. Parker’s stepsister is bitten by a strange insect. She dies swiftly and would be as swiftly buried if the volcano did not erupt at the same time.

Mr. Parker watches ashes falling over the city and is saddened both by his stepsister’s death and by news that a cabinet minister of Nicaragua was removed from office. Since the minister made Parker the Nicaraguan finance commissioner for southeastern Europe, the proprietor fears that he is about to lose his pretentious but empty title. Hoping that the Vatican will intercede for him if he were to become a Catholic, he consults the parish priest and suggests a procession in honor of the island’s patron saint to bring an end to the eruption. The priest is delighted to hear such a pious suggestion from a non-Catholic, and before long, the holy procession is winding through the ashy streets. Miraculously enough, the ashes stop falling and rain that follows washes away all traces of nature’s upheaval.

The eruption ends, and life goes on as usual. Several parties are given for Mr. Van Koppen, an American millionaire who visits the island every year. At these parties, the bishop hears more about the life of the colony. He talks with Denis and learns about his problems. He hears with amusement of Van Koppen’s promise to contribute liberally toward a clinic for Miss Wilberforce, if Mr. Keith will give a like sum. Van Koppen knows that Keith believes people should be allowed to do what they like with their lives, and he thus knows that Keith will never part with the amount he promised.

One day the bishop, visiting Count Caloveglia, finds him about to sell the American a small bronze statue of wonderful antique Greek workmanship. To authenticate the statue, which was unearthed on the count’s property, Van Koppen calls in an English art expert. Although the expert declares the piece a real masterpiece and a rare find, Van Koppen knows that the work is a fake. He is willing to pay the price, however, as a compliment to the count’s ability to deceive the expert.

The next day, the bishop goes for a walk along the cliffs with Denis, who is still perturbed about his problem of where to go and what to do. While they rest, the bishop sees that they are in sight of his cousin’s villa. As he watches, he sees Mrs. Meadows come out of her house and walk along the cliff with a man who called himself Muhlen when the bishop met him on the boat. Later, he hears that the man is a blackmailer whose real name is Retlow. He wonders what his cousin is doing with such a person. Suddenly, the man disappears, and Mrs. Meadows walks briskly back to her house. The bishop just watched a murder.

Suddenly he remembers where he heard the name Retlow before; it was the name of his cousin’s first husband. Doubtless he is blackmailing her. As far as the bishop can see, she was justified in killing him. He remembers that on the boat Retlow said a particularly annoying child ought to be thrown overboard. The bishop decides that Retlow’s own end is consistent with his ideas.

Unfortunately, a gold piece that belonged to Retlow comes to light in the possession of a native boy. When the boy is accused of murder, the case becomes a battle of rival factions. The boy is a cousin of the village priest, and Signor Malipizzo, the magistrate, is a Freemason who hopes to discredit the Church through that relationship. To defend the boy, the priest calls in Commendatore Morena, a lawyer who rose to fame and to power through his membership in the Black Hand. At the trial, the boy is judged innocent, chiefly because of Morena’s eloquence. He first calls the jurors’ attention to the crime they will commit if they remove the boy from his mother, a relationship that was important to so many famous men. Then, learning that the boy is an orphan, he shifts his argument to show what an injustice they will commit if they convict an innocent boy. The accused goes free. Under the circumstances, the bishop resolves to say nothing of Mrs. Meadows’s guilt. With her fears of blackmail removed, she seems a different woman. Nobody suffers from the murder but Retlow, who deserved his fate.

Denis finally becomes angry at Mr. Keith’s drunken meddling, and he tells the old hedonist to shut up. It is the first time Denis ever makes a decision for himself and carries it through. His visit to Nepenthe starts him on the road to manhood. On the whole, reflects the bishop, most matters affecting the people of Nepenthe turn out well in the end.

Bibliography

Brothers, Barbara, and Julia M. Gergits, eds. British Travel Writers, 1910-1939. Vol. 195 in Dictionary of Literary Biography. Detroit, Mich.: Gale Research, 1998. Includes an article about Douglas, providing biographical information and critical analysis.

Greenlees, Ian. Norman Douglas. Harlow, England: Longman, 1971. A pamphlet-length survey by a man who knew and traveled with Douglas. South Wind receives careful attention.

Holloway, Mark. Norman Douglas: A Biography. London: Martin Secker & Warburg, 1976. Comprehensive, judicious consideration by a man who admits to enjoying Douglas’s work “almost without reservation.” Contains a thorough investigation of South Wind’s origin, composition, and influence.

Leary, Lewis. Norman Douglas. New York: Columbia University Press, 1968. A brief survey that treats South Wind prominently. Concludes that the novel remains as fresh as when it first appeared.

Lindeman, Ralph D. Norman Douglas. Boston: Twayne, 1965. Easily one of the best book-length introductions to Douglas and his writings. South Wind receives specific treatment. Includes bibliography.

Matthews, Jack. “Jack Matthews on Norman Douglas’s South Wind.” In Rediscoveries: Informal Essays in Which Well-Known Novelists Rediscover Neglected Works of Fiction by One of Their Favorite Authors, edited by David Madden. New York: Crown, 1971. A genial appreciation stressing the novel’s intelligence, compassion, and humor. Matthews wonders at the book’s neglect. A good starting place for research.