Pagan Light

"A splendid and nuanced collective biography."—The New York Times Book Review

"Pagan Light is a sequence of braided long-form profiles, full of bright digressions, horrors and lives that dead end . . . James deserves a lot of credit for giving attention to important artists who, in many cases, have not been sufficiently examined by critics . . . [A] roguish, diverting book."—David Mason, The Wall Street Journal

"A languorous, tipsy walking tour of a locale laden with history . . . [James] proves a most entertaining guide . . . A pleasure."—Alexander C. Kafka, The Washington Post

"Pagan Light is mesmerizing. Every detail is compelling. I felt I was reading a family history of a family far more interesting than mine."—Edmund White, author of Our Young Man

“No one writes better than Jamie James about the intersection of history, art, literature, and place, especially when the place in question is a haven for nonconformists. After reading this ravishing book, I wasn’t sure whether to head to Capri without delay or to decide a visit would be redundant, because James had already taken me there.”—Anne Fadiman, author of The Wine Lover’s Daughter

"Part travelogue, part history, and part literary analysis, this book pleasantly meanders through the lives of foreigners who have, over the centuries, decamped to the little island of Capri to find sexual and artistic freedom . . . A colorful, captivating literary companion for those visiting the island and a peek into the lives of some figures largely faded from history."—Kirkus Reviews

"[A] beguiling study . . . [James] offers colorful historical anecdotes that feature wild parties, ritual nudity, and occasional gunplay, as well as a travelogue of the modern-day island. The result is a sensitive, wryly comic, engrossing history about creative eccentrics and erotic outlaws seeking a physical and spiritual home."—Publishers Weekly