The 'fatal charm of Italy' has held Lord Byron – and millions of tourists ever since – in its spell. Yet, beneath 'the brilliant and vivacious surface', what are the realities of Italian life? Few writers have ever painted a portrait of their compatriots as crisp, frank and fearless as Luigi Barzini's. Cutting through the familiar clichés, he instructs us with a cascade of anecdotes and provides a marvellous guided tour through centuries of history. He examines Machiavelli and Mussolini, popes, pilgrims and prostitutes, cliques and conspiracies, Casanova and the crippling power of the Church. Yet alongside the Baroque exuberance and spectacular display, the love of life and the life of love, he also shows us a divided nation, injustice, ignorance, poverty and fear. All this is Italy, a country of dazzling achievement and an uncanny aptitude for getting round problems; both its virtues and its vices are celebrated in this sparkling book
The Italians
and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more. |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Authors
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
"The New Yorker"Searching into every corner of Italian life and scrutinizing every cliche concerning it, from the charm of the people (an illusion, he maintains) to the consolations of "la dolce vita" (another one), Mr. Barzini has written an invaluable and astringent guidebook to his country.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
ITALIANS are pleased and perplexed. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
ITALIANS are pleased and perplexed. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Barzini was amongst the most talented journalists of 50's/60's Italy. Here he tries to explain the often frustrating enigma that are his countrymen to a foreign audience.
This book is probably best compared to Jeremy Paxman's "The English..", but is far better researched and far more suitable as a foundation for further casual study. Lest this put the reader off, at the same time he writes in an amusing and engaging style.
If the book is at times aged - writing as he does before the social revolution had really hit Italy - at the same time it provides a fascinating glimpse of Italy's past which is vital to understanding it's future.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I enjoyed the book, The Italians. Eventhough Barzini was a newspaper journalist, it seems he was in the business of writing about the social sciences. While reading this book, it dawned on me that many of Barzini's theories and precepts are nothing more than ideas. Of course, Barzini was Italian and I am sure many of his conclusions are accurate. However, some of this book has to be taken with a "grain of salt". Barzini, educated at Columbia University, has a witty and thorough style of writing. He makes this book very easy to read and enjoyable. I recommend this book to anyone looking to understand the makeup of the Italian people. It's important to keep one thing in mind before reading this book, it was not written by a sociologist - but by a journalist.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Barzini combines scholarship and humor to enhance our understanding of the ethnic/cultural group that has produced some of the world's great writers, thinkers, industrialists, scientists and artists, aka the saints and sinners. His subject matter is matched only by his writing in terms of complexity and style. Barzini is both mirror and artist, he provides images that are both as accurate as one can hope to experience and distorted by his love of his subject. In the end, I was greatly entertained and educated. An immensely enjoyable read.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 27 reviews
3.8 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
An anecdotal view of Italy
A book about Italians or about one's prejudices about Italians? In the tradition of Victorian visitors to Italy, whose books say more about the authors' prejudices than about the... Read more
Published on 8 Dec 1998
2.0 out of 5 stars
A book about Italians or about one's prejudices about Italy?
In the tradition of Victorian visitors to Italy, whose books say more about the authors' prejudices than about the topics at hand, Barzini's account tells us about his own, middle... Read more
Published on 26 Nov 1998
5.0 out of 5 stars
An historical witty approach
Much has been written on Italians, but nobody to the best of my knowledge has ever taken an historical scholar examination of the process combined with a very good sense of humor. Read more
Published on 22 Feb 1998
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
