Norman Lewis

Travel magazines may offer glossy pictures of the latest hot spots, but to know the stories behind the places where tourists rarely travel, you have to read Norman Lewis.
Lewis was born in London to a spiritual medium and a faith healer. When his three older brothers unexpectedly took ill and died, Lewis was shipped off to Wales to live with his eccentric aunts. Tales of his childhood were featured in his first autobiography, “I Came I Saw”; the second memoir, “The World, The World” focused more on his writing and travels.
During World War II, Lewis served in the Intelligence Corps in Algeria, Tunisia and Naples. He chronicled his experiences in the book, “Naples ’44,” which The Sunday Times of London called “one of the greatest books to emerge from the Second World War.”
Lewis wrote numerous nonfiction books including, “A Dragon Apparent” and “The Missionaries,” then he tried his hand at fiction, penning a dozen political thrillers like “Darkness Visible” and “The Sicilian Specialist.”
After 60 years of travel writing, Lewis was most proud of the article he wrote exposing the genocide of Amazonian tribes in Brazil. It appeared in The Sunday Times in 1969 and prompted the foundation of Survival International, a worldwide organization supporting tribal peoples.
Lewis died on July 22. Cause of death was not released. He was 95.