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The Italians / John Hooper.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York : Viking, 2015Description: xvii, 316 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 0525428070
  • 9780525428077
Subject(s):
Contents:
The beautiful country -- A violent past -- Echoes and reverberations -- A hall of mirrors -- Fantasia -- Face values -- Life as art -- Gnocchi on Thursdays -- Holy orders -- Le Italiane attitudes change -- Lovers and sons -- Family matters -- People who don't dance -- Taking sides -- Restrictive practices -- Of Mafias and Mafiosi -- Temptation and tangenti -- Pardon and justice -- Questions of identity.
Summary: How can a nation that spawned the Renaissance have produced the Mafia? How could people concerned with bella figura (keeping up appearances) have elected Silvio Berlusconi as their leader, not once, but three times? Sublime and maddening, fascinating yet baffling, Italy is a country of seemingly unsolvable riddles. John Hooper's entertaining and perceptive new book is the ideal companion for anyone seeking to understand contemporary Italy and the unique character of the Italians. Digging deep into their history, culture, and religion, Hooper offers keys to understanding everything from their bewildering politics to their love of life and beauty. Looking at the facts that lie behind the stereotypes, he sheds new light on many aspects of Italian life-- football and Freemasonry, sex, symbolism, and the reason why Italian has twelve words for a coat hanger, yet none for a hangover. Even readers who think they know Italy well will be surprised, challenged, and delighted by The Italians.
Fiction notes: Click to open in new window
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 945.093 H786 Checked out 07/22/2024 33111007976414
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Washington Post bestseller
Los Angeles Times bestseller

A vivid and surprising portrait of the Italian people from an admired foreign correspondent

How did a nation that spawned the Renaissance also produce the Mafia? And why does Italian have twelve words for coat hanger but none for hangover?
 
John Hooper's entertaining and perceptive new book is the ideal companion for anyone seeking to understand contemporary Italy and the unique character of the Italians. Fifteen years as a foreign correspondent based in Rome have sharpened Hooper's observations, and he looks at the facts that lie behind the stereotypes, shedding new light on everything from the Italians' bewildering politics to their love of life and beauty. Hooper persuasively demonstrates the impact of geography, history, and tradition on many aspects of Italian life, including football and Freemasonry, sex, food, and opera. Brimming with the kind of fascinating--and often hilarious--insights unavailable in guidebooks, The Italians will surprise even the most die-hard Italophile.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The beautiful country -- A violent past -- Echoes and reverberations -- A hall of mirrors -- Fantasia -- Face values -- Life as art -- Gnocchi on Thursdays -- Holy orders -- Le Italiane attitudes change -- Lovers and sons -- Family matters -- People who don't dance -- Taking sides -- Restrictive practices -- Of Mafias and Mafiosi -- Temptation and tangenti -- Pardon and justice -- Questions of identity.

How can a nation that spawned the Renaissance have produced the Mafia? How could people concerned with bella figura (keeping up appearances) have elected Silvio Berlusconi as their leader, not once, but three times? Sublime and maddening, fascinating yet baffling, Italy is a country of seemingly unsolvable riddles. John Hooper's entertaining and perceptive new book is the ideal companion for anyone seeking to understand contemporary Italy and the unique character of the Italians. Digging deep into their history, culture, and religion, Hooper offers keys to understanding everything from their bewildering politics to their love of life and beauty. Looking at the facts that lie behind the stereotypes, he sheds new light on many aspects of Italian life-- football and Freemasonry, sex, symbolism, and the reason why Italian has twelve words for a coat hanger, yet none for a hangover. Even readers who think they know Italy well will be surprised, challenged, and delighted by The Italians.

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