In Sardinia

Praise

“Mr. Biggers is an enthusiastic and erudite guide. Seeking out the past in local lore and in Sardinia’s long and overlooked literary tradition, he returns the island to the center of our imaginative map of the Mediterranean.” — The Wall Street Journal

“[A] rich, detailed chronicle…compelling guide and a new appreciation of an overlooked island…Neither holiday postcard nor dry ancient history, this is a fascinating journey around Sardinia.” — Kirkus Reviews

“In Sardinia is a delightful travelogue that unearths magical stories from beneath island stones.” — Foreword Reviews

“A fine mix of geography and history that offers a vigorous riposte to the various misunderstandings heaped upon Sardinia.” –Booklist

“At last, a grand companion to the mysterious and enchanting island of Sardinia. Known to most travelers for its beaches, Sardinia’s complex archeological heritage extends back to Neolithic times. Jeff Biggers, the consummate traveler/ scholar, starts in beautiful Alghero and begins exploring the entire island, delving into the rich traditions of music, arts, dialects, crafts, and literature. Along the way, he and his family revel in local lore, festivals, food, and wine. Written with verve and love, In Sardinia is the book I’ll be taking on future trips.” –-Frances Mayes, New York Times bestselling author of Under the Tuscan Sun

“In Sardinia passionately recounts Biggers’ discovery of a place long considered out of time and history. With an agile writing style but one that reveals the extensive research behind the text, In Sardinia takes the reader on a discovery of an island-as-a-continent, its rich historical heritage as well as its increasingly vibrant contemporary cultural life.” —Maria Bonaria Urban, author of Sardinia on Screen

“A deeply satisfying dive into the Sardinian soul, but at the same time the writing is so spare and essential – almost as if Biggers somehow reflects the silences and spaces of the island as well. Every page taught me something new about Sardinia’s literature, legends, landscape, icons and customs. A moving book which traces the contours of the terrain and hears its ancient voices. A magnificent achievement.” —Tobias Jones, author of The Po: An Elegy for Italy’s Longest River

“In Sardinia is an indispensable and necessary international guide. To discover a Sardinia still little known outside the national borders and to reveal its multiform riches and diversity. It is no coincidence that this opens with the Ogliastra artist Maria Lai and closes with the poet of Desulo, Montanaru, just as it is no coincidence that, in this almost intimate text, the many “Sardignias” are represented through a kaleidoscopic variety of languages and cultures, landscapes and knowledge, sounds, tastes and encounters. In Sardinia is an unmissable journey that starts from an inner story to be shared with the vast world. A journey capable of filling that profound void, which makes that stone thrown into the Mediterranean a teeming patch of land yet to be revealed.” — Paolo Fresu, legendary Italian jazz musician and composer