Naples ’44

Person · Companion

Signora Lola

A war widow, once the mistress of a Fascist hierarch, now Captain Frazer’s lover.

In the book

Asks Lewis to interpret her affair with the wordless Frazer and to settle its ‘basic matters’; over the following months he follows the relationship through the Capri trip, the break-ups and suicide threats, and her retirement to Ischia ‘to deflate’ once Frazer is posted away.

Appears in 5 diary entries.

  1. October 28 1943
    Asked to interpret between an Italian woman and her English-speaking-impaired British officer lover, Lewis observes how bread and supplies shape wartime romance.

    Frazer's lover, met at Signora Gentile's dinner party; asks Lewis to interpret for the relationship

  2. April 1 1944
    A leisurely boat trip to Capri with Captain Frazer, Lola, and her friend Susanna captures a rare golden, carefree day amid the war.

    on the Capri boat trip

  3. April 24 1944
    Frazer and Lola's tumultuous romance continues through breakups, threats of suicide, and reconciliation.

    reconciles with Frazer after dismissing a rival lover, becomes his official fidanzata

  4. April 25 1944
    Dinner at Frazer's looted, makeshift flat showcases the improvised elegance Neapolitans manage despite having almost nothing.

    hosts dinner at Frazer's flat

  5. June 9 1944
    Hospitalized again with malaria, Lewis receives a parade of eccentric visitors from his network of contacts, to the disapproval of hospital staff.

    retires to Ischia for the summer as Frazer's affair with her ends

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