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Falling Palace: A Romance of Naples
by Dan Hofstadter
New Yorker contributor Hofstadter (The Love Affair as a Work of
Art) poignantly writes of the crowded streets of Naples, his love for the
city and the local woman who captivates him. The author has long adored Naples's
charm and travels to the city as an adult for a translation project. There, he
divides his time among his work, exploring the city and meeting some eccentrically
charming people. Naturally, he falls for one of them, the passionate and bold
Benedetta, with her "unique blend of affection and defiance." Other
people Hofstadter encounters become some of his best friends: stuttering, chain-smoking
Gigi Attrice, who dreams of being an actor; wedding photographer Donato Bianchi,
who knows the albums he creates may become his young clients' most prized possessions;
and the brainy Signora Perna, who believes unabashedly in the other world. Alas,
Hofstadter's assignment ends, and he's forced to leave his newfound friends to
return to America. Several years later he returns, spurred by a peculiar letter
from Benedetta. Although it takes him a while to find her—"no one
could find her until she wanted to be found"—they eventually reunite.
With enticing descriptions and backstories, Hofstadter adroitly captures both
the allure and sorrow of Naples and its people. Copyright © Reed Business
Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Christ Stopped at Eboli: The Story of a Year
by Carlo Levi
A sensitive and gifted writer with a great sense of style.... Perhaps the best thing in his book is the detachment by which he avoids sentimentalizing the peasants and at the same time renders their undestroyed feelings for human values. --Alfred Kazin, New York Herald Tribune Book Review
The present translation by Frances Frenaye suggests that Levi is a great prose stylist, as well as brilliant observer of human life and a wise and patient diagnostician of our condition. --New Republic
A kind of gray El Greco beauty.... It is a long time since any book has come out of Italy with such an individual accent, such a richness of texture. --Lewis Gannett, New York Herald Tribune
Levi writes with sympathy and insight.... Hailed by Italian critics as one of their most promising contemporary writers, he has proved his competence by making a readable and interesting book out of grim and forbidding material. --Saturday Review of Literature
Has been called in turn a diary, an album of sketches, a novelette, a sociological study and a political essay. It has more than a trait of each genre; yet it remains as hard to classify as every beautiful book, or as the man who wrote this one. --New York Times Book Review
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The Story of San Michele
by Axel Munthe
A bestseller in a dozen languages and a favorite of readers for decades, The Story of San Michele is one of a remarkable life filled with fabulous experiences and ambitions. Axel Munthe was a fashionable physician in Paris who built one of the best-loved houses in the world, San Michele, on the Isle of Capri, on the site of the villa of the emperor Tiberius. Written with intelligence and verve, this autobiography tells tales of buried treasure in Italy, legendary creatures in Lapland, and the cold countesses and kindly whores of Naples-enough material, as one critic put it, "to furnish writers of short stories with plots for the rest of their lives." "A frank and absorbing autobiography…packed with good stories, vivid scenes, and memorable portraits." -- The Times [London] "Written in an imaginative style that is vigorous and impressive." -- New York Times
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The Volcano Lover
by Susan Sontag (Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1992)
The astringently intellectual Sontag here turns to lush historical romance based on the real-life triangle of Sir William Hamilton, his wife Emma, and Lord Nelson. The English ambassador to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in the late 1700s, the Cavaliere is an exacting collector of antiquities and a frequent visitor to Mount Vesuvius. When his devoted wife Catherine dies, he becomes enamored of his nephew's beautiful if vulgar mistress. Emma gladly marries her benefactor but finds real love when heroic Lord Nelson visits Naples. The story starts slowly, and the Cavaliere's relation as collector to the collected Emma seems too obvious. But as Sontag warms to her subject, the novel becomes rich, expansive, and highly entertaining, right down to the slambang final chapters whose rapidly shifting voices suddenly provide new perspective. Hardly digressions, Sontag's many aesthetic speculations wonderfully enhance the plot. A fine novel of ideas, this is sure to please venturesome readers of historical romance as well.
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Mount Vesuvius: Europe's Mighty Volcano of Smoke and Ash (Volcanoes of the World)
by Kathy Furgang
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Pompeii: The Day a City Died (Discoveries)
by Robert Etienne
In an illustrated survey of one of the most fascinating archeological discoveries in history, an expert on Pompeii uses photographs, maps, reconstructed city plans, mosaics, and drawings to provide a vivid portrait of life in this Roman city. Original.
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Pompeii
edited by Filippo Coarelli
Frozen in time when Mount Vesuvius erupted on August 24, 79 C.E., Pompeii, gradually rediscovered and slowly excavated, has had an enormous impact on the "collective imagination." Editor and contributor Coarelli, an expert on Roman antiquities at the University of Perugia, and his equally impressive contributors, trace Pompeii's profound influence on literature, history, art, music, and film, and examine the major role it has played in the evolution of archaeology. But these are only two strands in a vividly detailed tapestry that also includes an overview of Pompeii's history, a chronicle of its daily life, and a comprehensive tour of the spectacular city itself, from its awe-inspiring temples to its taverns, gladiator barracks, bakeries, baths, and shops. And then there are the 500 breathtaking, brand-new color photographs of city vistas, architectural marvels, and exquisite sculptures, as well as jewelry, household objects, and close-ups of mosaics, friezes, and frescoes (some sacred, some erotic). Once a vibrant community, now a city of dreams, Pompeii, as this impressive book proves, remains utterly compelling.
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Escape From Pompeii
by Christina Balit
Pompeii for children:
"And then, in one terrible endless moment, they heard mighty Mount Vesuvius roar. Its top exploded in a scream, and flames ripped upward to the sky. A massive cloud of silver ash rose to the heavens, twisting and bubbling in every direction until everything was in total darkness."
If you plan to take your young children to the ruins of Pompeii, make sure they read this book first. Tranio, like most Roman boys, likes to watch whatever is going on: tradesmen selling their goods, ships unloading their exotic cargoes, politicians making speeches in the forum. But one hot August day a very different scene unfolds. The ground begins to shake, the sky to darken. People run gasping for air. Heading for the harbor, Tranio and his friend Livia hide on a boat and witness one of the most terrifying moments in recorded history-the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the destruction of their beloved city, Pompeii.
Christina Balit's fictional tale is based on the latest research. With her dramatic illustrations and a historical note, this story makes an exciting introduction to a fascinating subject.
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Pompeii in historical fiction:
In this fine historical novel by British novelist Harris (Archangel; Enigma; Fatherland), an upstanding Roman engineer rushes to repair an aqueduct in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, which, in A.D. 79, is getting ready to blow its top. Young Marcus Attilius Primus becomes the aquarius of the great Aqua Augusta when its former chief engineer disappears after 20 years on the job. When water flow to the coastal town of Misenum is interrupted, Attilius convinces the admiral of the Roman fleet - the scholar Pliny the Elder - to give him a fast ship to Pompeii, where he finds the source of the problem in a burst sluiceway. Lively writing, convincing but economical period details and plenty of intrigue keep the pace quick, as Attilius meets Corelia, the defiant daughter of a vile real estate speculator, who supplies him with documents implicating her father and Attilius's predecessor in a water embezzlement scheme. Attilius has bigger worries, though: a climb up Vesuvius reveals that an eruption is imminent. Before he can warn anyone, he's ambushed by the double-crossing foreman of his team, Corvax, and a furious chase ensues. As the volcano spews hot ash, Attilius fights his way back to Pompeii in an attempt to rescue Corelia. Attilius, while possessed of certain modern attitudes and a respect for empirical observation, is no anachronism. He even sends Corelia back to her cruel father at one point, advising her to accept her fate as a woman. Harris's volcanology is well researched, and the plot, while decidedly secondary to the expertly rendered historic spectacle, keeps this impressive novel moving along toward its exciting finale. Review copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Pompeii: The History, Life and Art of the Buried City
by Marisa Ranieri Panetta
Pompeii for those who want to know the facts:
The rediscovery of Pompeii in 1748 represented a decisive moment for our understanding of the Roman world. To visit the site on these pages is to travel through time: here is the excitement and drama Pompeii represents for archaeology and Classical studies, a complete tour of the complex and fascinating first-century Roman city. White Star's partners for Pompeii: Art and Treasures of the Buried City are the official institutions charged with preservation and the continuing exploration of the site: the Archaeological Superintendencies of Pompeii and Naples, and the Università Federico II of Naples. This book is the first collaboration of these two expert staffs and each offers a special authority on the excavations and the art of the ancient city. The text documents the most recent investigations and discoveries from the field - some previously unpublished - and represents the most current available view of one of the world's most famous archaeological sites. Marisa Ranieri Panetta writes for specialized publications, such as Archeo. In 1997 she won the UNESCO "Media Saves Art" prize for reporting on Pompeii. In 2002 she was awarded the International Theodor Mommsen Prize for her reports on Campi Flegrei.
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In The Shadow of Vesuvius: A Cultural History of Naples
by Jordan Lancaster
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Between Salt Water and Holy Water: A History of Southern Italy
"To see Naples as we saw it, in the early dawn from far up on the side of Vesuvius, is to see a picture of wonderful beauty."--Mark Twain
"One may write or paint as much as one likes, but this place, the shore, the bay, Vesuvius, the citadels, the villas, everything defies description."--Goethe
This is the first general history of the city of Naples written in English. The city, which inspires love and hate alike, has long attracted visitors, enticed not only by its commercial possibilities but also by the stunning beauty of its natural setting and its many cultural delights. From the ruins of Pompeii to glittering performances at the San Carlo opera house, Naples has much to offer visitors, but it also has high crime and a controversial past and present. The city was ruled by the French, Spanish, Hungarians and Austrians before becoming part of unified Italy in 1860. The social and economic changes after Unification resulted in thousands of Neapolitans seeking a new life abroad. These emigrants took their customs, cuisine and music with them and stamped a Neapolitan impression on the international image of Italy forever. From the time of the Grand Tour, the city has attracted travelers, from Goethe to Mark Twain, all eager to experience its legendary and seductive charms. Jordan Lancaster's sparkling guide will serve as an ideal companion for visitors and as a valuable cultural resource for all those who seek to expand their knowledge of the city or proudly trace their roots to Naples.
by Tommaso Astarita
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"Passion and Intrigue in the Shadow of Vesuvius!" An Englishwoman working in Naples, young Jenny has no friends; only a letter of introduction to an acquaintance of an acquaintance. It is a letter that will change her life. Through the letter she meets Gioconda, a beautiful and gifted writer, and Gioconda's lover, Gianni, a famous Roman film director. And at work she encounters Justin, a Scottish marine biologist whose studied distance is strangely attractive to her. As Jenny becomes more and more involved with these people, she finds herself leaving England behind forever.
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Greene on Capri: A Memoir Many of the book's pleasures come, too, in her descriptions of Capri, capturing both the island's romance and its layers of unreality. But in the end, Hazzard's considerable generosity cannot preclude disappointment with Greene. How could it when she too often witnessed her friend's discernment edging into deep disdain? Greene on Capri makes one long for a fuller Hazzard memoir--and even more so for another of her beautiful fictions.
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Naples '44 An intelligence officer in the labyrinth.
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An altogether different type of experience, the painful, insightful memoirs of an American woman who lived in an impoverished town south of Naples during the 1950s and 1960s, while helping to set up nursery centers.
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Treasure of Naples Ask any Italian to name a book set in Naples and this one will most likely come to mind: a collection of short stories - sometimes witty, sometimes poignant - about what the author calls this "mad and mythological and adorable city." The basis for the film Gold of Naples, it makes a fantastic travel companion. Sadly, it is out of print, but you may find it in secondhand bookstores or at the library
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US$16.00
Capri and No Longer Capri
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The history of Italy tends to focus on events from Rome northward, too often giving short shift to the peculiarly named "Kingdom of the Two Sicilies." Astarita does a masterful job of correcting this error and bringing to life for English speakers the people and events of these lands so central to the entire Mediterranean basin. European by geography, the region had close ties to Africa from the time of Carthage onward. Post-Roman Empire southern Italy fell under the sway of the Normans in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, and Astarita recounts the era of kings Roger I and II, who dealt with the diverse powers of the papacy and sizable Muslim populations in their realm. Astarita is at his best discussing South Italy and Sicily's social history, the roles of religion and superstition as animating forces in the populace's everyday lives. A highly readable history, this volume will be enthusiastically received wherever there are concentrations of Italian-Americans. Population tables and genealogical charts add to the text's clarity. Review by Mark Knoblauch: Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved.
Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast
by Bonechi Books
The Bay of Noon
by Shirley Hazzard (Penguin, 1970)
by Shirley Hazzard
Shirley Hazzard's first encounter with Graham Greene had it all: timing, art, and an unbeatable setting--Capri. One December morning in the late '60s, he and a friend sat down at a café table next to hers and he began to quote from Browning's "The Lost Mistress." Yet try as Greene might, the last line wouldn't come to him. When she got up to go, Hazzard filled in the blank. As the beginning of a literary friendship goes, this could hardly be bettered. What's more, within hours she and her husband, Francis Steegmuller, were dining with the English author. Greene on Capri, Hazzard's evocation of their subsequent years of friendship, is generous, restrained, and complex. Two of those adjectives could, she makes clear, describe her friend, while restraint doesn't seem to have been part of his being.
by Norman Lewis (Eland, 1978)
Torregreca: Life, Death and Miracles
by Ann Cornelison (Little, Brown & Co., 1969)
by Giuseppe Marotta (Dutton, 1949)
Cantalèsia
Poems in the Neapolitan Dialect
When ordered from Our Heritage
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by Raffaele La Capria (Elizabeth A. Petroff, translator)
From Library Journal: Originally published in Italy in 1991, this book by famed Italian author La Capria presents a picture of the island of Capri that may shock some and make others hastily switch their travel plans. For many years, Capri ranked as one of the most sybaritic, debauched destinations in Europe an island paradise where English expatriates and other wandering souls could go for a cleansing dose of weird midnight rituals at the Blue Lagoon and where homosexuality was rampant. Capria's intent is to debunk many of these stories while acknowledging that many are true. The outcome is an intimate and brutally honest look at an island that has earned both a fanciful and a disturbing reputation as a European destination that is far off the beaten path. This book is not intended for the casual tourist who takes a day trip from Naples to Capri and only spends a few hours at the Blue Lagoon.
