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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.
In this consummate portrait of the Italian people, bestselling author, publisher, journalist, and politician Luigi Barzini delves deeply into the Italian national character, discovering both its great qualities and its imperfections. Barzini is startlingly frank as he examines "the two Italies": the one that created and nurtured such luminaries as Dante Alighieri, St. Thomas of Aquino, and Leonardo da Vinci; the other, feeble and prone to catastrophe, backward in political action if not in thought, "invaded, ravaged, sacked, and humiliated in every century." Deeply ambivalent, Barzini approaches his task with a combination of love, hate, disillusion, and affectionate paternalism, resulting in a completely original, thoughtful, and probing picture of his countrymen.
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.
This new comparative reading of Euripides' Bacchae and
Aristophanes' Frogs sets the two plays squarely in their
contemporary social and political context and explores their impact
on the audiences of the time. Both were composed during a crucial
period of Athenian political life following the oligarchic seizure
of power in 411 BC and the restoration of democracy in 410 BC, and
were in all likelihood produced nearly simultaneously a few months
before the rise of the Thirty Tyrants and the ensuing civil war.
They also demonstrate significant similarities that are
particularly notable among extant Attic theatre productions,
including the role of the god Dionysos as protagonist and architect
of religious and political action, and the presence of Demetrian
and Dionysiac mystic choruses as proponents of the appeasement of
civil discord as the cure for Athens' ills. Focusing on the mystic,
civic and political content of both Bacchae and Frogs, this volume
offers not only a new reading of the plays, but also an
interdisciplinary perspective on the special characteristics of
mystery cults in Athens in their political context and the nature
of theatrical audiences and their reaction to mystic themes. Its
illumination of the function of each play at a pivotal moment in
fifth-century Athenian politics will be of value to scholars and
students of ancient Greek drama, religion and history.
Due to the very old age and scarcity of this book, many of the
pages may be hard to read due to the blurring of the original text.
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger
Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain
imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed
pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we
have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting,
preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger
Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and
hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!
Due to the very old age and scarcity of this book, many of the
pages may be hard to read due to the blurring of the original text.
Due to the very old age and scarcity of this book, many of the
pages may be hard to read due to the blurring of the original text.
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.
This new comparative reading of Euripides' Bacchae and
Aristophanes' Frogs sets the two plays squarely in their
contemporary social and political context and explores their impact
on the audiences of the time. Both were composed during a crucial
period of Athenian political life following the oligarchic seizure
of power in 411 BC and the restoration of democracy in 410 BC, and
were in all likelihood produced nearly simultaneously a few months
before the rise of the Thirty Tyrants and the ensuing civil war.
They also demonstrate significant similarities that are
particularly notable among extant Attic theatre productions,
including the role of the god Dionysos as protagonist and architect
of religious and political action, and the presence of Demetrian
and Dionysiac mystic choruses as proponents of the appeasement of
civil discord as the cure for Athens' ills. Focusing on the mystic,
civic and political content of both Bacchae and Frogs, this volume
offers not only a new reading of the plays, but also an
interdisciplinary perspective on the special characteristics of
mystery cults in Athens in their political context and the nature
of theatrical audiences and their reaction to mystic themes. Its
illumination of the function of each play at a pivotal moment in
fifth-century Athenian politics will be of value to scholars and
students of ancient Greek drama, religion and history.
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book
may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages,
poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the
original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We
believe this work is culturally important, and despite the
imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of
our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works
worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in
the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.
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