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The Dark Heart of Italy: Travels Through Time and Space Across Italy
 
 
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The Dark Heart of Italy: Travels Through Time and Space Across Italy (Hardcover)

by Tobias Jones (Author) "I arrived in Parma knowing only a few Italian words culled from classical music and from menus (adagio, allegro, prosciutto, and so on), and I..." (more)
3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (40 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 266 pages
  • Publisher: Faber and Faber; First Edition edition (20 Jan 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0571205828
  • ISBN-13: 978-0571205820
  • Product Dimensions: 22 x 14 x 3.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 292,766 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
Tobias Jones' remarkable book essential reading for Italy enthusiasts: The Dark Heart of Italy (subtitled Travels Through Time and Space across Italy) is unlike any book on the country you may have read before. It is not a guide to Italy's art, or her geographical splendours. Nor is it a guide to her amazing cuisine. And it is not an examination of the Italian character. It does, however, contain elements of all of these and much more. When the author emigrated to Italy in 1999, he expected the customary ravishing of the senses that Italy usually provides. But, looking beneath the surface, Jones was astonished to encounter surprising undercurrents, among them national paranoia and the crippling fear inspired by terrorists (the Italian parliament, it seems, has a 'Slaughter Commission').

This is, of course, the country of Silvio Berlusconi, the tycoon whose controversial election via his stranglehold on the media was (to British eyes at least) something that should not be countenanced in a non-totalitarian country. While always taking on board the glories of Italy, Jones' picture of the country is both fascinating and disturbing: this is a land torn apart by civil wars and endemic corruption, the still influential Cosa Nostra and unbending Catholicism exert considerable sway.

Italy remains utterly unlike any of its European neighbours. Jones sees links between the powerful creativity of the Italian soul and the 'dark heart' that he refers to in his title. What is most remarkable about the book is the fact that no one who loves Italy will be at all disenchanted to encounter the truths that Jones presents to us. If anything, the complex and contradictory nation that emerges will hold an even greater fascination for both the serious student and the casual visitor. --Barry Forshaw

Conde Nast Traveller, 1 January 2003
Incisive and intelligent, this is the book to take on your Italian holiday.

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First Sentence
I arrived in Parma knowing only a few Italian words culled from classical music and from menus (adagio, allegro, prosciutto, and so on), and I found myself in the infantile position of trying to understand my surroundings at the same time as I learnt how to describe them. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

40 Reviews
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3 star:
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2 star:
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Average Customer Review
3.6 out of 5 stars (40 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely brilliant!, 4 Dec 2004
By Eugenio Mastroviti "bookworm" (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Dark Heart of Italy: Travels Through Time and Space Across Italy (Paperback)
This book must be revealing to the British, but it is an absolute eye-opener for an Italian living in the United Kingdom, like me. It gives a description of Italy free of the prejudices we Italians have on ourselves, it does not take anything for granted, and manages to make fun of some of our most ingrained habits. It made me laugh out loud for most of the first chapter, then it made me think, then it got me depressed and angry. The attitudes he describes, towards bureaucracy, towards political power, towards dishonesty, are exactly what compelled me to leave the country (finally) 5 years ago. A must-read for those who want to understand modern Italy, and for expatriate Italians as well - as a vaccine against excessive homesickness
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34 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Time to reconsider our patronizing love for Italy, 20 Jul 2004
By paul paran (bristol) - See all my reviews
After all the praise for Tuscany and the Italian charms, let's welcome a realistic discussion by an Englishman who was disappointed after living a few years in Italy. It's funny how hasty tourists usually celebrate Italy while those who actually live there, like Jones, or Tim Parks, or Donna Leon, find a lot of negative aspects. Probably, this comes from the fact that Italians nurture appearances ("bella figura") while hiding their true intentions. So, when strangers get to know the real Italy, they feel betrayed.
In the past, strangers felt obliged to be nice to Italians who were economically underdeveloped compared to northern Europeans. Today central and northern Italy has a per-capita income which is 20% higher than the average income in France, Germany or the UK. It is time to judge Italians without condescension.
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53 of 64 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars I am an Italian, 11 Mar 2003
I am an Italian and I live in London with my English husband.

When people find out I am Italian they tell me of how wonderful my country is and how strange I want to live in gray England. I always say Italy is beautiful, but I wouldn't live there as it's full of Italians. It is hard to quickly explain to people why I think this, so it's very helpful for me to read and recommend books like Tobias Jones' and Tim Parks'. These authors have a first hand experience of Italy and offer detachment and perspective in their reports and analysis.

All Italians will tell you Italy is a mess (un casino). They will not tell you why - as they'd have to explain 2000 years of history first - so they will divert the conversation to all the "unquestionably" beautiful things of the country: food, art, scenery, sun etc... Most Italian have no encompassing grasp of the last 30 years' history. Tobias Jones helpfully summarizes all the connections between terrorism, politics, Communists, Fascists, Berlusconi - the protagonists of Italy after WW II, and family, church and language - the pillars of Italian culture.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Very revealing
This is a must read for anyone seeking to understand what's going on in Italy today. It provides a wealth of information about Italy's recent history, which helps enlighten the... Read more
Published 16 days ago by Alma

4.0 out of 5 stars Not for the passing tourist
If you are just planning to spend a few days in Italy visiting Florence , Venice or going to the beaches ,you don't need this book . If you are going to be there for a while i. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Antonio Andriollo

5.0 out of 5 stars AN extraordinary insight into Italy - a rare treat
As an Anglo Italian I was really impressed at how Tobias Jones - in just 4 years - has got a handle on Italian life and politics - he pulls off a difficult feat - an expose of... Read more
Published 2 months ago by veebers

2.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, but certainly not great.
If you like me, have come by this book by way of Tim Parks, and are seeking more amusing and insightful observations and anecdotes about Italy and its people then this book will... Read more
Published 3 months ago by James Joice

3.0 out of 5 stars What's all the fuss about ?
Read this with a growing sense of 'what's the big deal about this book ?' Author tries/fails - where others have tried/failed - to make some sense of this fragmented, parochial,... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Smst1

1.0 out of 5 stars A disappointing collection of second-hand stereotypes
This book is a collection of second-hand stereotypes about Italy and Italians. I watched the author on a TV program struggling to put a few words together in Italian and asked... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Max

1.0 out of 5 stars far from reality
The author does't know what he is talking about. His vision of Italy, its politics and Italians is naive. Read more
Published on 31 Jan 2007 by Viola Petrella

5.0 out of 5 stars Thanks Brits!
In Italy this book caused a small wave of anglophobia.
However, we italians must thank you brits because of your great jouranlists, Tobias Jones and David Lane. Read more
Published on 25 Jan 2006 by ferrenz

4.0 out of 5 stars The emotions of a newcomer bring back the memories...
This is a great to book to read for those resident in Italy over the last thirty years - I relived it all. Read more
Published on 13 Sep 2005

3.0 out of 5 stars An amusing book, but quite superficial.
As an Italian living in the north of Italy I don't understand why Mr. Jones fights so angrily against italian banks, postal offices and police offices for foreigners. Read more
Published on 11 Jun 2005 by Davide Cattabriga

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