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From Caesar to the Mafia - Persons, Places and Problems in Italian Life (Paperback, 2nd edition)
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From Caesar to the Mafia - Persons, Places and Problems in Italian Life (Paperback, 2nd edition)
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Described by Melvin Lasky as "one of the great journalists of our
time," Luigi Barzini was also one of the great cultural historians
of modern Italy. "From Caesar to the Mafia" brings together his
finest essays, roughly half of them never before published in the
English language. Whether discussing the deep Italian roots of
Julius Caesar, Casanova's contribution to the art of living big, or
Camillo Cavour's contribution to a democratic as well as integrated
nation, Barzini makes Italian culture come alive. Whether he is
dealing with heroes or villains, he never loses sight of how Italy
became a distinct nation.
"From Caesar to the Mafia" is not only about people, but also
focuses on places and problems. When Barzini discusses the
Sicilians, the Isle of Capri, or his birthplace of Milan, he has
the distinct capacity to capture what is universal as well as what
is intimate in each place. An innate sense of psychological
profiling enriches these intimate sketches. Because Barzini had
such a keen appreciation of Anglo-American culture he emphasizes
people and places known to travelers to Italy, as well as readers
of Italian literature. What makes the volume so special is
Barzini's careful maneuvering between sentimentality on one side
and brutality on the other.
Italy is not only a state of mind for Barzini, but also a
political culture. By discussing the exaggerated mannerism of
Mussolini or the unusual capacity of Gramsci to grasp the
principles of revolution making in an underdeveloped country, he
helps us better understand the operations of fascism and communism
as system and ideology. The final essays give voice to Barzini's
ability as a political analyst. His examination of the Italian
Communist Party's multiple personality disorders, the Christian
Democrats as working compromise, the Mafia as a system of power
designed not so much to kill as to intimidate and to rule in the
absence of popular resistance, tells the reader about modern,
postwar Italy. This is a volume not just to be read, but to be
savored.
Luigi Barzini (1908-1984) was the author of an incomparable set of
books on the United States, Europe, and Italy, including "Americans
are Alone in the World," and "The Italians." He served as a foreign
correspondent for Corriere della Sera, and later as a liberal
deputy in the Italian Parliament. He was described by the late
Cyril Connolly as "a philosopher and master of the English
language."
Michael Ledeen is a distinguished senior fellow at the American
Enterprise Institute, and himself a learned scholar in Italian
politics and letters. He has written widely on Machiavelli,
D'Annunzio, and Italian fascism.
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