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A Suitable Case for Corruption
Book by Lewis, Norman
185 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1984
1 person is currently reading
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About the author
Norman Lewis
183 books150 followersNorman Lewis was a British writer renowned for his richly detailed travel writing, though his literary output also included twelve novels and several volumes of autobiography. Born in Enfield, Middlesex in 1908 to a Welsh family, Lewis was raised in a household steeped in spiritualism, a belief system embraced by his grieving parents following the deaths of his elder brothers. Despite these early influences, Lewis grew into a skeptic with a deeply observant eye, fascinated by cultures on the margins of the modern world.
His early adulthood was marked by various professions—including wedding photographer, umbrella wholesaler, and even motorcycle racer—before he served in the British Army during World War II. His wartime experiences in Algiers, Tunisia, and especially Naples provided the basis for one of his most celebrated books, Naples '44, widely praised as one of the finest firsthand accounts of the war. His writing blended keen observation with empathy and dry wit, traits that defined all of his travel works.
Lewis had a deep affinity for threatened cultures and traditional ways of life. His travels took him across Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Mediterranean. Among his most important books are A Dragon Apparent, an evocative portrait of French Indochina before the Vietnam War; Golden Earth, on postwar Burma; An Empire of the East, set in Indonesia; and A Goddess in the Stones, about the tribal communities of India. In Sicily, he explored the culture and reach of the Mafia in The Honoured Society and In Sicily, offering insight without sensationalism.
In 1969, his article “Genocide in Brazil,” detailing atrocities committed against Indigenous tribes, led directly to the formation of Survival International, an organization committed to protecting tribal peoples worldwide. Lewis often cited this as the most meaningful achievement of his career, expressing lifelong concern for the destructive influence of missionary activity and modernization on indigenous societies.
Though Lewis also wrote fiction, his literary reputation rests primarily on his travel writing, which was widely admired for its moral clarity, understated style, and commitment to giving voice to overlooked communities. He remained an unshakable realist throughout his life, famously stating, “I do not believe in belief,” though he found deep joy in simply being alive.
Lewis died in 2003 in Essex, survived by his third wife Lesley and their son Gawaine, as well as five other children from previous marriages.
His early adulthood was marked by various professions—including wedding photographer, umbrella wholesaler, and even motorcycle racer—before he served in the British Army during World War II. His wartime experiences in Algiers, Tunisia, and especially Naples provided the basis for one of his most celebrated books, Naples '44, widely praised as one of the finest firsthand accounts of the war. His writing blended keen observation with empathy and dry wit, traits that defined all of his travel works.
Lewis had a deep affinity for threatened cultures and traditional ways of life. His travels took him across Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Mediterranean. Among his most important books are A Dragon Apparent, an evocative portrait of French Indochina before the Vietnam War; Golden Earth, on postwar Burma; An Empire of the East, set in Indonesia; and A Goddess in the Stones, about the tribal communities of India. In Sicily, he explored the culture and reach of the Mafia in The Honoured Society and In Sicily, offering insight without sensationalism.
In 1969, his article “Genocide in Brazil,” detailing atrocities committed against Indigenous tribes, led directly to the formation of Survival International, an organization committed to protecting tribal peoples worldwide. Lewis often cited this as the most meaningful achievement of his career, expressing lifelong concern for the destructive influence of missionary activity and modernization on indigenous societies.
Though Lewis also wrote fiction, his literary reputation rests primarily on his travel writing, which was widely admired for its moral clarity, understated style, and commitment to giving voice to overlooked communities. He remained an unshakable realist throughout his life, famously stating, “I do not believe in belief,” though he found deep joy in simply being alive.
Lewis died in 2003 in Essex, survived by his third wife Lesley and their son Gawaine, as well as five other children from previous marriages.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 20, 2025
I have read a lot of Norman Lewis' non-fiction travel writing in both long and short form, but only one other fiction book.
This is a espionage story, fairly reminiscent of some of Graham Greene's 'entertainments'.
Set in Libya, where journalist expat Ronald Kemp also does some advisory work for a minor government department. In Egypt a plot is being hatched by the CIA to assassinate the President of Libya, but they need an agent on the ground - or a least someone who can get them information... and Ronald Kemp is the man who is considered "a suitable case for corruption"...
Lewis weaves the plotline through a description of expat life, the corruption, double dealing and self-serving within the circle Kemp moves. Not as naive as he seems, but also not quite quick enough to keep out of trouble he become embroiled in complexity and is not sure who he can trust to help him extract himself.
This was a quick read, and not overly taxing if you go with the flow.
I enjoyed it enough to give Norman Lewis' fiction another go.
4 stars
This is a espionage story, fairly reminiscent of some of Graham Greene's 'entertainments'.
Set in Libya, where journalist expat Ronald Kemp also does some advisory work for a minor government department. In Egypt a plot is being hatched by the CIA to assassinate the President of Libya, but they need an agent on the ground - or a least someone who can get them information... and Ronald Kemp is the man who is considered "a suitable case for corruption"...
Lewis weaves the plotline through a description of expat life, the corruption, double dealing and self-serving within the circle Kemp moves. Not as naive as he seems, but also not quite quick enough to keep out of trouble he become embroiled in complexity and is not sure who he can trust to help him extract himself.
This was a quick read, and not overly taxing if you go with the flow.
I enjoyed it enough to give Norman Lewis' fiction another go.
4 stars
June 15, 2015
Norman Lewis is best known for his ‘travel’ writings, although it’s a misleading term for what he does. It’s more like anthropology. He doesn’t pass through and tell us about the curious man at the bar, the goat he met on the boat. No, he moves in, learns the language if he doesn’t speak it and becomes a member of the community. More ‘total immersion’ than ‘travel’.
So, when he writes novels about these places, they have an authentic ambiance. I only recently discovered his novels when I started re-reading his total immersion books. I still prefer the latter, but the novels give him permission to expand his knowledge of place and people into the possible as well as the observable. The Sicilian Expert, for example, is one of the first books to posit that JFK was killed by the CIA with the help of the Sicilian mafia. A Suitable Case for Corruption is set in Egypt and Libya in the 1980’s, two co-religionists who also share a mutual hatred.
Our man Kemp in Libya is a journalist of sorts who works for various publications both within Libya and in the outside world. ‘Outside’ being the apt word, as it is not easy to get in or out of Libya which is undergoing a revolution under ‘Gadfly’ as he is referred to by the CIA working for the Egyptians who want the man dead. Kemp has access to rather mundane but crucial information wanted by the Agency in order to fulfil the Pharaoh’s hopes for the early demise of his neighbour. He is offered what is to him a large sum of money for this information, which surprises him to the extent that he declines, wondering what can be behind it. Machinations are used to bring him round.
But the Libyans also want his help and bring pressure to bear. Suddenly, Kemp, middle-aged, of mediocre talents and status, is very popular indeed. Wonderful large villas come his way, beautiful young women, offers of money. That’s on the one hand. On the other, he is poisoned by his housekeeper and ends up in hospital. A member of the British and American ex-pat community, he sails on, oblivious to being in the eye of the storm, his biggest problem the purchase of authentic whisky for his villa-warming party. Little by little his eyes open…
Lewis is a gifted writer, he tells us stories which might deal with humdrum events in small worlds where the big event might be something as exciting as a tuna fish. Like Kemp, we find ourselves opening our eyes little by little. There is a wry humour in his total immersion books which is not often found in his novels. Nevertheless there are some remarkable passages in ASCC. Like this one:
A few hotel residents, all of them elderly men and quite motionless, were seated at random throughout the lounge like chess pieces left on a board by players who had gone away after an uninspiring game.
And after two surprising twists at the end of the book, that is how he leaves his players – scattered across the chessboard.
So, when he writes novels about these places, they have an authentic ambiance. I only recently discovered his novels when I started re-reading his total immersion books. I still prefer the latter, but the novels give him permission to expand his knowledge of place and people into the possible as well as the observable. The Sicilian Expert, for example, is one of the first books to posit that JFK was killed by the CIA with the help of the Sicilian mafia. A Suitable Case for Corruption is set in Egypt and Libya in the 1980’s, two co-religionists who also share a mutual hatred.
Our man Kemp in Libya is a journalist of sorts who works for various publications both within Libya and in the outside world. ‘Outside’ being the apt word, as it is not easy to get in or out of Libya which is undergoing a revolution under ‘Gadfly’ as he is referred to by the CIA working for the Egyptians who want the man dead. Kemp has access to rather mundane but crucial information wanted by the Agency in order to fulfil the Pharaoh’s hopes for the early demise of his neighbour. He is offered what is to him a large sum of money for this information, which surprises him to the extent that he declines, wondering what can be behind it. Machinations are used to bring him round.
But the Libyans also want his help and bring pressure to bear. Suddenly, Kemp, middle-aged, of mediocre talents and status, is very popular indeed. Wonderful large villas come his way, beautiful young women, offers of money. That’s on the one hand. On the other, he is poisoned by his housekeeper and ends up in hospital. A member of the British and American ex-pat community, he sails on, oblivious to being in the eye of the storm, his biggest problem the purchase of authentic whisky for his villa-warming party. Little by little his eyes open…
Lewis is a gifted writer, he tells us stories which might deal with humdrum events in small worlds where the big event might be something as exciting as a tuna fish. Like Kemp, we find ourselves opening our eyes little by little. There is a wry humour in his total immersion books which is not often found in his novels. Nevertheless there are some remarkable passages in ASCC. Like this one:
A few hotel residents, all of them elderly men and quite motionless, were seated at random throughout the lounge like chess pieces left on a board by players who had gone away after an uninspiring game.
And after two surprising twists at the end of the book, that is how he leaves his players – scattered across the chessboard.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews