num_pages: 2
description: Extravagant, inventive, emotionally sweeping, Captain Corelli's Mandolin is the story of a timeless place that one day wakes up to find itself in the jaws of history. The place is the Greek island of Cephallonia, where gods once dabbled in the affairs of men and the local saint periodically rises from his sarcophagus to cure the mad. Then the tide of World War II rolls onto the island's shores in the form of the conquering Italian army.Caught in the occupation are Pelagia, a willful, beautiful young woman, and the two suitors vying for her love: Mandras, a gentle fisherman turned ruthless guerilla, and the charming, mandolin-playing Captain Corelli, a reluctant officer of the Italian garrison on the island. Rich with loyalties and betrayals, and set against a landscape where the factual blends seamlessly with the fantastic, Captain Corelli's Mandolin is a passionate novel as rich in ideas as it is genuinely moving.1. A Pea In The Ear: On the Greek island of Cephallonia, the pastoral bliss of Pelagia and her father Dr Iannis is about to be changed irrevocably by war.A young Italian soldier recounts a desperate tale of love and heroism.2. Invasion Of The Italians:Pelagia has written more than 100 letters to her fisherman fiance Mandras, who is fighting in the Greek army, but she has had no reply.3. Looking For Snails: Pelagia has fallen for the charming Captain Corelli, but he is technically the enemy.She is still engaged to Mandras, who is away fighting for the resistance movement.4. Earthquake: After an extraordinary act of heroism, Corelli makes a slow recovery.Cast: antonia - faye castelow bunnios - Jonathan Keeble carlo - anthony psaila corelli - daniel philpott directed by David Hunter dr iannis - Stephen Greif drosoula - anna savva father arsenios - alex zorbas francesco's mother - Liza Sadovy hector - Nitin Ganatra lemoni - ania gordon major - Simon Treves mandolin music composed and performed by alison stephens mandras - Chris Pavlo narrator - Tom Goodman-hill officer - Simon Treves older corelli - Sean Baker older pelagia - Mia Soteriou pelagia - celia meiras soldiers - Jot Davies, John Dougall stamatis - Sean Baker velisarios - alexi kaye campbell young antonia - ania gordon young iannis - thomas brown-lowe
language: English
title: Captain Corelli's Mandolin
titlecomplete: Captain Corelli's Mandolin (BBC Radio Collection)
characters: Dr Iannis, Mandras, Pelagia, Antonio Corelli
genres: Historical, Literature, Classics, World War II, Novels, Greece, War, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Romance
ratings_count: 85466
places: Greece, Kefalonia
awards: awardedAt: 788947200000
name: Commonwealth Writers' Prize
category: Best Book Overall
publisher: BBC Physical Audio