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The Italian American Heritage: A Companion to Literature and Arts (Garland Reference Library of the Humanities)
George Leonard Manufacturer: Routledge ProductGroup: Book Binding: Library Binding ASIN: 0815303807 |
Book Description
Offers information and insights
The many available scholarly works on Italian Americans are of little practical help to the undergraduate or high school student who needs background information when reading contemporary fiction with Italian characters, watching films that require a familiarity with Italian Americans, or looking at works of art that can be fully appreciated only if one understands Italian culture. This basic reference work for non-specialists and students offers quick insights and essential, easy-to-grasp information on Italian American contributions to American art, music, literature, motion pictures, and cultural life.
Spotlights the uniquely Italian in American Life
This rich legacy is examined in a collection of original essays that range from portrayals of Italian characters in the films of Francis Coppola to Italian American poetry, from the art of Frank Stella to the music of Frank Zappa, from a survey of Italian folk customs to an analysis of the evolution of Italian American biography. Comprising 22 lengthy essays written specifically for this volume, the book identifies what is uniquely Italian in American life and examines how Italian customs, traditions, social mores, and cultural antecedents have wrought their influence on the American character. Filled with insights, trenchant observations, and ethnic facts and fictions, this volume is a valuable source of information for scholars, researchers, and students interested in pinpointing and examining the cultural, intellectual, and social influence of Italian immigrants and their successors.
Includes an Extensive Lexicon of Important Terms
This informative lexicon provides definitions of Italian terms that are central to the Italian American experience and that serve as indexes of the Italian American worldview. Whenever appropriate, the editor refers readers to a source in which the meaning of the term is more fully explored.
Excerpt from a sample Lexicon entry:
al fresco: adv., adj.: outdoors, literally "in the cool," meaning fresh air: an Italian phrase now used in English as in the expression "dining al fresco". Conflating the idea that Italian cuisine is admirably suited to be eaten in the open air and the image of the Mediterranean climate, al fresco has become a signifier of the pleasurable way in which Italian life is conducted.
Excerpts from the book:
"Madonna fully plays out the Madonna/puttana (and its darker variation, Madonna/dominatrix) identities and her own internal division between sacred and profane; when she is good she is very bad, and when she is bad, she is very good."-from "Madonna: The Postmodern Diva as Maculate Conception" by Fosca D'Acierno, "I hate the hoity-toity view of art which is pretentious, airy, and filled with moral meanings. Most critics and scholars have no direct contact with artists; they would be uncomfortable with them. They pretend to talk about works of art, but in fact they are quite different from artists in personality. I have repeatedly said that the artist has more in common with the car mechanic -- getting yourself dirty -- which is why I have enormous rapport with artists."-from "Italian Catholic in My Bones: A Conversation with Camille Paglia" by Camille Paglia and Thomas J. Ferraro *
"If a piece of bread falls to the floor, it should be kissed and blessed with the sign of the cross. Bread should not be wasted, nor should one pierce it with knife or fork. Bread should be one of the first items brought into a new home, and keeping at least a crust of this food staple in the cupboard warded off famine."-from "Bread and Wine in Italian-American Folk Culture" by Frances M. Malpezzi and William M. Clement
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Heritage Italian-American Style Bilingual (2nd Edition)
Leon J. Radomile Manufacturer: Vincero Enterprises ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0967532914 |
Book Description
This newly revised second edition is now available in a bilingual format and has been expanded from the original 1492 to 1776 fact-filled questions. The five major categories (Food, Music, Entertainment; Art, Science, Literature; History, Geography, Business; Sports; Romans)cover 3,000 years of Italian genius and innovation, with an index of over 2,700 entries. The new bilingual second edition also contains six comprehensive internet address directories covering area's like language, genealogy, culture, organizations, food/wine, anti-defamation, etc. Additionally, a special section listing over 50 major Italian-American magazines and newspapers printed in the United States, along with subscription information, is also included. I guarantee that this will be one book you will love to own and give to others. Just ask the 5,000 enthusiastic purchasers of the first edition. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at: heritage1492@earthlink.net or telephone me personally at: 1-800-715-1492, I'd love to hear from you.Best regards and mille grazie,
Leon J. Radomile, author/publisher
Customer Reviews:
Italian Americans Wanted!.......2004-03-10
Smorgasbord of Italian American Historical Tidbits.......2002-05-31
It would make the IDEAL GIFT !!!! for Teens (and Adults) who value their heritage, but are not sure why.
With adjacent Italian Translation, it also enriches your Italian Language skills.
It makes possible a wonderful Family Quiz Game.
THE book for Italians, and those who wish they were!
A must have for every person interested in Italian culture.......2002-05-30
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We Called It Macaroni: An American Heritage of Southern Italian Cooking--KCA Pbk (Knopf Cooks American Series)
Nancy Verde Barr Manufacturer: Knopf ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0679765778 Release Date: 1996-02-13 |
Customer Reviews:
Molto Bene! Beautiful stories and delicious recipes!.......1999-08-29
Real cooking reflective of Rhode Island Italian heritage.......1999-05-25
Cooking will wait until after you read the entire book!.......1999-01-11
A cookbook you can actually READ cover to cover!.......1998-08-08
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Atavismo!: My Home in Italy
Anna Maria Baccellieri Manufacturer: iUniverse, Inc. ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0595390307 |
Book Description
Ann's journey to learn about her Italian heritage evolved into loving Italy with its wondrous food, medieval stone villages built into the sides of mountains, the colorful confetti shops in Sulmona, the tartufo festival in Succiano, the town celebration of Feragosto, and the festas in Goriano Valli.The adventure of exploring off-the-beaten-track hidden itineraries, cooking in the church kitchen of a monk, shopping at the local markets in San Demetrio and L'Aquila, buying food from trucksters who delivered right to the front door, seeing ricotta being made in a shepherd's shack, picking artichokes in her cousin's garden, and living like an Italian in the village she was born in opened the door to a heritage and family previously unknown to her.
She learned of a scandal in her parent's family, never known to her American family, and heard moving stories of unrequited love and wartime heroism.
From the fabulous cooks in her family, recipes for chinghiale, zucchini flower fritters, carbonara, chicken cacciatore, milk of almond from the times of Michelangelo, polenta on the board and many other recipes are included in this book.
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Pick-and-Shovel Poet: The Journeys of Pascal D'Angelo
Jim Murphy Manufacturer: Clarion Books ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items: ASIN: 0395776104 |
Book Description
In this inspiring biography, critically acclaimed author Jim Murphy tells the unique story of Pascal D'Angelo, who came to America in 1910 at the age of sixteen. Like so many immigrants from southern Italy and other parts of Europe, he took on the only job available to him, that of a manual laborer building roads and railways. Though his life was difficult, Pascal remained optimistic and never lost his sense of wonder at the world around him. He yearned for an outlet to express his passion, and so, remarkably, he taught himself English from newspapers and poetry books, in the process becoming a respected poet himself.Customer Reviews:
A passion for language, a demon for work.......2001-01-20
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To Be Young, Gifted and Black
Lorraine Hansberry Manufacturer: Vintage ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0679764151 Release Date: 1996-01-03 |
Book Description
In her first play, the now-classic A Raisin in the Sun, Hansberry introduced the lives of ordinary African Americans into our national theatrical repertory. Now, Hansberry tells her own life story in an autobiography that rings with the voice of its creator. "Brilliantly alive."--The New York Times.Customer Reviews:
srekcarc.......2005-05-23
I Can Relate.......2002-11-18
When I think of Lorraine Hansberry I think of a woman who achieved the impossible in an impossible time. She completed her plays with such intensity and flair . . . As if she lived and researched each every act.
Nevertheless, I feel that Hansberry was stating that to be "Young, gifted, and black," is clearly to be aware of who and what you are . . . and to take this knowledge of who and what you are and to run with it. Taking a chance when given a chance, or rather taking a chance and creating an opportunity with merely a bit of the gift that you had.
I will always remember what Thurgood Marshall, he basically stated that "He did the best with what he had." Is that being merely good or is that being the best. I believe that the concept of this book is not to be mistaken. I believe Hansberry is saying, "Hey sister, hold your head up high. It does not matter what this world thinks of you. It only merely matters about what you can do for yourself and your fellowman. Do you know your gifts? Hey write it down. You are worth perfecting."
Lorraine Hansberry did wonders in her lifetime she did so much for her community and her fellowman. My question to myself and others is . . . What about your gifts? Hey write them down. They are worth perfecting.
Young, gifted, and brilliant.......2001-12-03
Poignant and inspiring.......2001-11-22
Universal, Accessible, and Powerful!.......2001-04-25
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American Artists of Italian Heritage, 1776-1945: A Biographical Dictionary
Regina Soria Manufacturer: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: 0838634257 |
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Italians in the Deep South: Their Impact on Birmingham and the American Heritage
Frank Joseph Fede Manufacturer: Black Belt Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: 188132009X |
Book Description
This second edition features new introductory material, new phots, and a new dust jacket. Fede was raised in Birmingham, Alabama's Little Italy. He tells us how labor shortages drew Italian immigrants to Birmingham's coal and steel industries. These new Americans quickly became farmers, grocers, and merchants, and the next generation became doctors, bankers, and lawyers. Their collective history helped shape the culture of the growing city, which was enriched by their contributions to religion, sports, art, commerce, and politics.Customer Reviews:
Priceless.......2004-05-31
Awesome book for Italian Geneology in Birmingham.......2004-01-09
Wonderful.......2001-11-27
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The Italian Renaissance (American Heritage Library)
J.H. Plumb Manufacturer: American Heritage Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0828104859 |
Book Description
Spanning an age that witnessed great achievements in the arts and sciences, this definitive overview of the Italian Renaissance will both captivate ordinary readers and challenge specialists. Dr. Plumb's impressive and provocative narrative is accompanied by contributions from leading historians, including Morris Bishop, J. Bronowski, Maria Bellonci, and many more, who have further illuminated the lives of some of the era's most unforgettable personalities, from Petrarch to Pope Pius II, Michelangelo to Isabella d'Este, Machiavelli to Leonardo. A highly readable and engaging volume, THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE is a perfect introduction to the movement that shaped the Western world.Customer Reviews:
Introducing the Renaissance.......2007-07-14
An introduction to a magnificent time.......2001-11-16
Plumb describes the histories of some of the cities of Italy. In one chapter he describes the intricate diplomacy of Milan. In other chapters he describes the commerce of Venice and the trade of Florence. We see the brilliance of artists and dissipation of rulers. Plumb describes how the new learning, the new way of seeing the world, spread across Europe.
However, Plumb only wrote half of the book. The second half contains a series of biographies of great artists and rulers of the Renaissance, written by different authors. There are short biographies of artists such as Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci: rulers such as Lorenzo de Medici and Doge Foscari, and authors such as Petrarch and Machiavelli. This book is a tour de force introduction to the magnificent Renaissance.
Renaissance is about Life.......2001-09-04
Plumb knows how to go straight to the point and give the reader his insights clearly and unobtrusively. He does not preach, he simply states and gives facts so wonderfully that I could not help but admire his masterful style of presentation. Here is an example: "In the darkest decades, there was a froce at work--trade--that was inimical to this world of warriors, priests, and peasants. Trade drew Moslem, Jew, and Christian together; trade fattened towns, sometimes bred them." Notice with what facility Plumb has just outlined the importance of trade--it mitigates cultural barriers and draws people together on the basis of mutual business interests. Or, here is an example of how Renaissance confronted dogmatism and obsession with getting at truth by deductive reasoning: "The old dogmatic certainties did not vanish at once, and the habit of trying to nail truth down by argument from fundamental principles was not lightly cast aside. Some of the most original minds, however, particularly Machiavelli and Leonardo da Vinci, sought truth not in argument but in observation." The book is full of such gems.
Renaissance was strange, cruel, and full of life and culture. This book gives us Renaissance in all its splendor fitting to a description of the time of revival and vitality.
Very good and highly readable overview.......2000-10-31
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Wine Heritage: The Story of Italian-American Vintners
Dick Rosano Manufacturer: Wine Appreciation Guild ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items:
ASIN: 1891267132 |
Book Description
Foreword, Robert Mondavi Mondavi, Martini, Sebastiani, Gallo, Bargetto and Pirelli-Minetti. Who could deny the importance of Italians to the development of America's wine industry? It is little known that Italians have been planting vineyards and making wine in America since the early colonial days when Filio Mazzei was the vineyard consultant for Thomas Jefferson. Grapes were planted and nurtured in virtually every corner of America where Italians settled. Wine making was as sacrosanct as making bread or pasta. Wine is inseparable from the Italian culture and is loved and revered as the "holy blood of the grape." It is one of the secrets of the healthy Mediterranean life style now preached by health experts.Here is the story of Italian immigrants whose descendants now dominate American wine making. How they struggled and endured. How they persisted in the face of Prohibition and facilitated legislation permitting home wine making of 200 gallons per family. The intrigue, the feuds, the love affairs and financial triumphs are all in this authenticated history from the earliest days of America to the new Italian/American wine makers such as Francis Ford Coola. 256 , 150 historic photos.
Customer Reviews:
Wine and Winemakers.......2001-09-24
Great history of Italian-American Wine.......2001-03-23
A great history of Italian winemaking in America.......2001-03-02
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