A Time in Rome by Elizabeth Bowen
It must be fairly obvious to anyone following me on social media that I’ve been on a bit of a Bowen Binge recently… I love the writing of Elizabeth Bowen, and I do have all of her novels plus the collected short stories. However, I was nudged in the direction of her non-fiction when I shared my Bowen shelf on Twitter; and I discovered that she was a prolific author of essays, reviews, broadcasts and all manner of works. Additionally, there was an enticing-sounding volume in the form of “A Time in Rome”; and I was fortunate enough to manage to procure a copy via the wonderful Hive website, so I could go vicariously travelling with Bowen for company…
I say travelling, by which I mean visiting Rome; however, there’s a certain amount of time travelling involved too, as this is no simple, straightforward narrative of a journey and the sights of the city. Instead, Bowen takes a perhaps unusual angle, and though anchoring her book in the city and her extended stay there in early spring 1958, she uses this as a launching pad to explore the city’s long and turbulent history, through its architecture and its people.
This book is not even my footnote to your guidebook; it is my scribblings on the margins of mine. I claim to be little help to anyone else.
“Time” is divided up into five long chapters, with titles ranging from “The Confusion” to “The Set Free”. In each of these, Bowen takes a particular element of her Rome and riffs on it; for example, “The Confusion” starts with her sense of disorientation on arrival, when she’s put in a hotel room which doesn’t work for her, and explores her attempts at grounding herself and finding her way around the city. She discusses the city’s architectural past, as well as its political history and the ever-changing rulers and regimes, and each angle is fascinating; her dismay at the complexity of the family relationships of some of the Roman Emperors is palpable! As she rambles, she constantly comes across the juxtaposition of old and new; Rome in the late 1950s is constantly changing, as it has over the centuries, and her explorations of the fate of many of what we regard as now fixed monuments reveals layers of history.
Gasworks, slaughter-houses, rubbish dumps, cattle markets, an abandoned shooting gallery, a defunct racecourse, duststorms of demolition, skeletal battles of construction, schools, asylums and hospitals, squatters’ villages, marble-works, and other relics of pleasure or signs of progress crop up according to where one goes. Each demands to be taken into the picture. Crazy or neat, no structure is out of use; if it has lapsed from one it has found another.
The changes Rome was undergoing in the post-WW2 period were obviously dramatic, and it has to be remembered that Bowen was visiting a place which had been through much during that conflict, switching sides halfway through and being bombed on a regular basis. So the city was, like so many in that period, going through yet another process of rebuilding and reinvention, and Bowen meets this on many of her travels, while musing on the city’s past and present.
But the core of the revolution is public transport – I know of no system more far-reaching than Rome’s, more energetic or more capacious: hilarious buses, electric road-railways zooming into the hills in ascending spirals, small eager trains darting from stop to stop across reclaimed marshlands or to the coast. One way or another, thousands hurl themselves forth…
The chapter entitled “The Smile” was a particularly powerful one, exploring subterranean Rome and then its gardens. This leads to an extented section on Livia, the wife of Emperor Augustus, with whom Bowen seemed to feel a strong connection. Her description of Livia’s life and achievements is an evocative and often powerful one, and this particular part of the book really struck me. It has to be said that Bowen’s writing is often exquisite; and in the passages on Livia, who comes to represent Rome’s ‘smile’, it soars to Woolfian heights.
However, Bowen is not without her lighter moments, and her dry wit often reveals itself – her short and punchy comment on a particular era made me laugh:
On the Middle Ages, I cannot find it too tempting to dwell at all. One could feel that they were endured by mankind in order that they might fascinate the historian…
And she posits a dizzying array of reasons for wanting to *leave* the wonderful city she’s visiting, which reflects the often turbulent political set up of the past:
Reasons for getting out are among the constants of Roman history – danger from personal enemies; an exposed conspiracy; civil disturbance; noxious weather; pestilence; persecution or pogrom; need to tone up in fresh air or reflect in calm; spleen; fashion; annoyance by barbarians; banishment; military or administrative duties; care of country estates; health; imminent scandal; financial crisis. A whole range, back through how many centuries, between desire and compulsion.
She also reveals her human side, confiding at times how tiring wandering round Rome can be, leaving the visitor with sore feet; and revealing her difficulty in adjusting to the idea of the midday siesta when everything comes to a halt.
Reading “A Time in Rome” was a wonderfully involving and distracting experience; Bowen’s prose is beautiful, often impressionistic, and repays slow and thoughtful reading. The book’s heady mix of her thoughts on the city as she experiences it, together with her exploration of the past, is wonderful, and I’m not sure I’ve read another work like this. Up until now I’ve only read Elizabeth Bowen’s fiction, which I absolutely; but having encountered her non-fiction voice in this marvellous book, I really want to read more…
cirtnecce
Jun 09, 2020 @ 09:16:25
I need to Stop, like really Stop adding more books to my TBR but this sounds so great!! Oh! What will happen to my never ending piles! Sigh! Added! Thank You for a great review! 🙂
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 09, 2020 @ 10:03:47
Ahem. Sorry. Not sorry. Bowen is a marvellous author and I can recommend her short stories too. Sorry.
And thanks! 😀
MarinaSofia
Jun 09, 2020 @ 10:21:51
I haven’t read any of her non-fiction either, and this does sound tempting…
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 09, 2020 @ 11:22:42
It really is. Her essays are pretty brilliant too, from the ones I’ve read!
heavenali
Jun 09, 2020 @ 10:37:47
Bowen’s prose is wonderful, I shall be reviewing A World of Love soon – a couple of others to write about first. I haven’t read any of Bowen’s non fiction yet, this sounds like a fascinating and very visual exploration of a city.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 09, 2020 @ 11:22:18
It is – I really love her writing. Her take on Rome was so interesting, and not really like any other travel book I’ve read. Marvellous stuff!
Simon T
Jun 09, 2020 @ 10:50:34
Interesting! She has so many layers to her fiction that I can’t quite imagine reading her non-fic and what that would be like – well, these quotes help imagine that, obviously! I struggle with any sort of travel lit, but this does sound exceptional.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 09, 2020 @ 11:21:47
Well, she has layers to her non-fic too and this has plenty. It certainly isn’t your typical travel book – sort of a mixture of travel and history. Definitely very interesting. I’ve dipped into some of her essays, too, and they’re wonderful – really evocative. Such a brilliant author.
janetemson
Jun 09, 2020 @ 11:08:18
I really need to read some of her work!
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 09, 2020 @ 11:16:53
She’s a wonderful author and I highly recommend her short stories – they’re marvellous!
Radz Pandit
Jun 09, 2020 @ 13:50:56
Fascinating! I have yet to delve into Bowen’s work but I do have The Hotel and her Collected Short Stories on the shelf. I am looking forward to reading them given all the praise of her books recently.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 09, 2020 @ 16:05:25
The Hotel is one I’ve read and loved, and her short stories are outstanding! Happy reading!
Jane
Jun 09, 2020 @ 16:57:53
I love that quote about the Middle Ages, I’m afraid I agree as much as I try to find them interesting !
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 09, 2020 @ 17:45:53
Me too – not a time that would have been particularly pleasant to live through I suspect…
Tredynas Days
Jun 09, 2020 @ 17:38:40
I’m another admirer of her fiction, so it’s good to hear there’s such good non-fiction to seek out, too.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 09, 2020 @ 17:45:34
She’s certainly a wonderful author; the essays I’ve dipped into so far are memorable too. Very easy to get sidetracked into reading her… ;D
JacquiWine
Jun 09, 2020 @ 19:33:27
Italy would be my destination of choice for pretty much any holiday. There’s something very appealing about the combination of culture, architecture, food and wine – the whole way of life, really. As for the book, it sounds fascinating. Like several others here, I’ve only read EB’s fiction, so it’s good to know there’s some interesting non-fiction to explore too.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 09, 2020 @ 19:39:09
The culture of Italy *does* sound marvellous – alas, I’ve never been, though I’m happy to have travelled there vicariously with Bowen! I was pleased to discover I liked her non-fiction so much – and the essays are wonderful too!
1streading
Jun 09, 2020 @ 19:41:16
As I said to you, I’ve got only read one Bowen book, The Heat of the Day, but she’s definitely on my ‘to read’ list, though probably her fiction first.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 09, 2020 @ 19:57:18
Her fiction *is* outstanding, but it’s lovely to find out her non-fiction is great too!
hopewellslibraryoflife
Jun 09, 2020 @ 21:16:10
Good review. I thought I’d read Last September for an Irish reading challenge but never got to it. Next year.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 10, 2020 @ 09:09:01
Thanks! She’s a great author – Last September is one I still have to read!
Caroline
Jun 10, 2020 @ 10:38:21
This sounds wonderful. I would like to read it for the parts on Livia alone. I miss travelling. It’s been a while since I last went to Rome. It might not happen this year.
I mostly like Bowen too but the last one I read wasn’t entirely to my liking (The Heat of the Day). The prose was clunky. But I do love her short fiction.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 10, 2020 @ 13:56:57
Her prose can be dense sometimes, I’ll admit. And parts of this were complex, but always so satisfying. I love her short fiction too, and must read more of it and her essays too!
Janakay | YouMightAsWellRead
Jun 11, 2020 @ 12:46:11
Bowen is one of those writers who arouses an ambivalent response in me–I admire her talent tremendously but at times find her a bit overly refined and dense. And yet, for all my misgivings I’ve been steadily working my way through her novels for several years now (Eva Trout is on my 2020 list). I’m starting to suspect I like her work much, much more than I’ve been willing to admit, or that perhaps I’m growing into it! I think you make a good point about Bowen’s prose requiring a slow & thoughtful approach; I tend to skim and she’s one of those authors for whom skimming just doesn’t work.
I haven’t tried her non-fiction and, though I’m a little adverse to travel writing, this sounds like a wonderful place to start. I love the historical angle and I’d be particularly interested in “the Livia sections.” My opinion of Livia has been very much influenced by I, Claudius, where Graves depicts her as the very embodiment of evil; it would be interesting to sample another great writer’s very different take!
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 11, 2020 @ 15:19:55
I do agree that her prose can be dense, and yes it’s definitely kind of writing that can’t be skimmed. It needs slow reading and careful attention, which in these modern frantic times is perhaps harder. That may be why her short stories are rated so highly, as they’re a way to enjoy her writing but in shorter bursts. Her non fiction that I’ve read so far is equally as good as her fiction, and I think you’ll find her view of Livia diametrically opposed to Graves…
Janakay | YouMightAsWellRead
Jun 11, 2020 @ 15:26:53
So much more dramatic, don’t you think, an evil scheming empress (Graves) as opposed to a dutiful, able, hard-working and accomplished power woman, which I’m assuming is Bowen’s take? I must admit that my rather casual knowledge of Roman history supports Bowen, but there were still all those family members standing between Livia’s son & the throne, who just happened to die young and under somewhat strange circumstances . . . .
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 11, 2020 @ 15:37:18
Indeed. I’m sure she was no saint but Graves was probably going for high drama. My Roman history is non-existent so I’ll have to be guided by Bowen here… ;D
buriedinprint
Jun 11, 2020 @ 18:53:18
Wow, that sounds really amazing, actually. And it adds an essential element to my thinking of Bowen as a writer (having only read her fiction previously). I also love the photograph you’ve found to supplement. It’s easy to forget (having been raised with books and more books) how splendid a resource the ‘net is when reading older books (newer, too, of course).
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 11, 2020 @ 19:49:30
It really was – such a thought-provoking book and unexpected, really. Not your usual travel book. I do like what I’ve read of her non fiction, and the internet was certainly helping me (as someone who’s not visited Rome) to visualise certain things.
literarygitane
Jun 16, 2020 @ 22:42:42
Thank you! Wonderful review! I get so many reading recommendations from your blog!
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jun 17, 2020 @ 08:59:14
Very welcome! Always happy to be a bad influence!
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Lisa Hill
Jan 06, 2021 @ 09:36:50
I love Rome and its layers, so I would love this too:)
kaggsysbookishramblings
Jan 06, 2021 @ 11:15:34
I think you would! Her prose is sometimes complex, but always beautiful and very rewarding!
Denise
Jan 25, 2021 @ 10:21:12
I read this just before the first lock down began and it was going across my mind just to take a short trip to see the places the book referred to, as I have never been. But it was good to think back to this post and the book, remembering what it was like to be able to think about travelling. It reminded me of Virginia Woolf’s diaries – I find Bowen and Woolf’s fiction blurrier and that they have different voices in non-fiction.