The Italians (#225)

I have lent this book to so many people in the past ten years and the last one did not return it, so I purchased this one for myself to keep. It has always been a favorite and portrays the Italian people in a most beautiful manner. I have read several of Mr. Barzini's literary efforts and find him to be a fascinating story teller.

If you have ever been to Italy, if you are Italian (100% or 8%), if you've ever known anybody Italian or eaten Italian food, this tome will shed light & help make sense of this beautiful country and her idiosyncratic inhabitants. A first edition paperback graced my grandparent's bookshelf since as far back as I can remember (30+ years). I took it home after my grandma (an Italian immigrant) passed away at the age of 97. I haven't been able to put it down since. If you're Italian, this book just verbalizes what you've known or at least suspected your whole life. If your not Italian, then you will probably say to yourself many times over, "that explains a lot!" Happy reading! Viva Italia!

I just read a small excerpt of this book which I read in its entirety many years ago. I found the writing especially lively and interesting. I also visited in Italy some months ago and have my impressions of that time to compare with what Barzini says. I also might add that I grew up in a neighborhood in Troy New York where we had many Siciliano neighbors who were our enemies at time but mostly our friends. I also have a deep and sympathetic relation to the vast creative capacity of the Italian people throughout the generations, both in visual arts and in music. And I am aware too of the historical role, sunny Italy played for those lost in the cold north who dreamed of new life Goethelike in the land of the south. I too know that one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world is the community of Rome which as I recently saw is sadly depleted and has not recovered from the terrible deportations in the time of the Nazis. All this as prelude to saying that Barzini does not give a comprehensive description of Italian character, but rather a series of essays which show to the reader aspects of Italian life. The Italians lively, energetic, clinging to their own homes and ways so closely, so richly musical, so passionate in their enjoyment in life , seemed at one time to set a standard for how human beings should live. I do not know how much of this book is dated, and how much Italy today is simply a depleted, demographically dying, aging and tired society. In our recent visit to Italy though I felt a strong sense of the beauty of the place and the beauty of people.

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.

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. I must say that in the book I have fully discovered and learnt all my people's negative and positive sides. This has been done with a lot of "wit" and humor.