Steve Capelin is a writer, based in Brisbane Australia. His most recent publication, Paradiso A Novel, a work of historical fiction, tells the story of his Italian ancestors who arrived in Australia in 1881 after an ill-fated attempt to build a utopian colony in the jungles of New Guinea. This blog also contains stories about family, travel, quirky moments in life and refections on the world and its absurdities.
Friday, 17 September 2021
PARADISO PUBLICATION - It's coming
Its been eight years in the making but I'm excited to inform you that publication of the novel is in the pipeline. The projected date for release is July 2021.
I'll release more information as the process moves forward.
The story: Three hundred Italians sign up for a Frenchman's crazy scheme to establish a utopian colony in the Pacific. The destination, unknown to them, is Papua New Guinea; a remote location on the southern tip of New Ireland which even to this day is almost impossible to visit. It's a disaster story, a story of hope, a story of survival and ultimately success. The story is told through the eyes of brother and sister, Domenico and Marietta Perin, my distant cousins, half brother and half sister to my grandfather.
It is the story of my ancestors and their attempt to escape the poverty of Veneto in 1879.
It's a work of imagination based on true events.