That Fine Italian Hand

by Paul Hofmann

Overview

No other people over so long a history have shown a greater knack for survival than the Italians. In this wryly affectionate book, Hofmann reveals his adopted countrymen in all their glorious paradoxes, capturing their national essence as no other book has done since Luigi Barzini's classic, The Italians. The national art of "arrangement"— dodging taxes, double-dealing, working only as hard as one must— is counteracted by Italian inventive genius, gusto for life, fierce individuality, deep family bonds (as well as animosities), and a marvelously hedonistic sophistication.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780805017298
Publisher:	Holt, Henry & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	03/15/1991
Edition description:	REV
Pages:	264
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.58(d)

About the Author

Paul Hofmann was for many years chief of the New York Times bureau in Rome. A resident of Italy on and off since World War II, he now lives in Rome, writing articles and books. The most recent, Cento Città, a guide to Italy's smaller cities and towns, is now an Owl paperback (Holt, 1990).

Editorial Reviews

An entertaining and shrewd appraisal of an ancient, ever-changing nation.” —Publishers Weekly

“Nourishing antipasti before the feast of an Italian visit.” —San Diego Union

From the Publisher

Continuing his love affair with Italy, Hofmann ( Cento Citta ), former New York Times Rome bureau chief, offers an entertaining and shrewd appraisal of an ancient, ever-changing nation. Although indulgent of the Italian scene, he nonetheless recognizes the blemishes that mar its surface and the violent contrasts that perplex many visitors, especially the cultural differences and tensions between the progressive North and the still semi-feudal, Mafia-plagued South. Strikes, erratic museum and public service schedules and civic red tape and delays, along with ugly, noisy urban sprawls surrounding traffic-jammed ancient cities, he grants, are exasperating. However, the author counters, these astute, individualistic, resilient people who value life moment by moment and cultivate its pleasures with a rare tenacity survive by resourcefulness (`` arrangiarsi '') and by maintaining strong family bonds (despite much-publicized sex scandals). (June)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

From the title, one might expect another of those travelogs or literate cookbooks that are often written about Italy, such as Barbara Grizzutti Harrison's Italian Days ( Weidenfeld, 1989). Instead, this book by the former New York Times bureau chief in Rome focuses mostly on the many social quirks and problems that are as much a part of Italian culture as pasta and espresso. Among the topics included are the Mafia, Italy's inclination toward anarchy, its overwhelming bureaucracy, and the ongoing prejudice of the affluent North toward the rural South. Though well researched, the book is written in a dispassionate, almost textbook-like style, with no personal slant or proposed solutions. Interesting and valuable from a sociological perspective, but recommended only for larger Italian studies collections.-- David Nudo, New York

Library Journal