“Get away from here before you’re completely bewitched and enslaved…” Dorothy Carrington (1910 – 2002) was told. But enslaved she was. She arrived in Corsica in 1948 as an English historian. She stayed. She was very interested in Corsican society and Corsican culture. In 1991 she was awarded a doctorat honoris causa by the University of Corse. She lived and worked in Ajaccio. Below is a list of her award winning books and achievements. I particularly relied on Granite Island, A Portrait of Corsica and The Dream-Hunters of Corsica for background for MOTHER TONGUE. In the novel the character of Professor Sylvia Nicoli was largely based on Dorothy Carrington.

• 1971: Granite Island, a Portrait of Corsica; French Edition: La Corse 1980: Heineman Award;
• 1986: Title of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres;
• 1991: Doctor honoris causa of the Université de Corse;
• 1993: Napoleon and His Parents: award of the Napoleonic Society of America, because of her contribution to the erudition of Napoleon;
• 1994: En Corse avec Francis Rose (a tribute to her husband, the painter Francis Rose);
• 1994: Special Award from the jury of the Region Corse for her complete works about Corsica;
• 1995: Title of MBE, Member of the British Empire, conferred by Her Royal Highness Elizabeth II;
• 1995: The Dream-Hunters of Corsica; French Edition: Mazzeri, Finzioni, Signadori 2000.
• 2001: A Portrait of Charles Bonaparte

For an excellent online resource on Dorothy Carrington’s work, especially her explorations of the occult, including the mazzeri and the signadori, go to for website for i muvrini, the world famous musical group promoting tranditional Corsican polyphony and click on The Dream-hunters and other legends and studies by Dorothy Carrington.