The Moon's a Balloon is a memoir by David Niven that recounts his remarkable life. The book covers his childhood, school days, time at Sandhurst, early army service, experiences in America during the Prohibition era, and his days in Hollywood before and during World War II. Niven also shares his time on the front lines in France and Germany, as well as personal tragedies such as the loss of his young first wife. The memoir is praised for its humor, wit, and the author's ability to tell engaging and sometimes tragic stories about his life.
Norman Lewis's "Voices of the Old Sea" offers a captivating glimpse into the daily lives of a close-knit fishing community in a remote Spanish village. The book vividly portrays the villagers' traditions, beliefs, and social dynamics, highlighting their resilience in the face of encroaching modernization. Lewis's immersive narrative captures the beauty and simplicity of their existence, while also subtly hinting at the inevitable changes that threaten their way of life. The detailed descriptions of the village's rhythms, based on the seasons and the fishing, create a strong sense of place. The book's enduring appeal lies in its exploration of cultural preservation and the impact of modernization on traditional communities.
We are joined by the poet Katrina Porteous and the writer and editor Patrick Galbraith to discuss Norman Lewis’s account of the of the three summers he spent working in Farol, a remote fishing village on the Costa Brava in the late 1940s. His book records the intricacies of life in a small community whose rhythms are based on the shoals of sardines and tuna, and whose beliefs and rituals have remained unchanged for a thousand years. But change does arrive in the shape of a black marketeer who buys up two-thirds of the village and opens a garish tourist hotel. Within a year, the ancient Spain that Lewis loves begins to sink beneath the tidal wave of greed, commercialism and liberal attitudes that package holidays and unfettered tourism unleash.
Lewis wrote his book thirty-five years after he’d lived in Farol. We are now 40 years on from its publication in 1984. Do his stories still resonate? We discuss why his sharply observed and artfully written books aren’t better known today, and put his writing in the context of the travel writing boom of the 1980s. Katrina also brings a fresh perspective to Lewis’ experience– she has lived in the fishing village of Beadnell on the Northumbrian cost for the past thirty years, where similar erosion of culture., language and tradition has taken place.
* To purchase any of the books mentioned in this episode please visit our bookshop at uk.bookshop.org/shop/backlisted where all profits help to sustain this podcast and UK independent bookshops.
* For information about everything mentioned in this episode visit www.backlisted.fm
*If you'd like to support the show and join in with the book chat, listen without adverts, receive the show early and with extra bonus fortnightly episodes, become a Patreon at www.patreon.com/backlisted
*You can sign up to our free monthly newsletter here
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Backlisted 
