Culture & History

THE PURSUIT OF ITALY
A History of a Land, Its Regions, and Their Peoples
By David Gilmour

Was the unification of Italy in 1861 a huge mistake? British historian Gilmour seems to think so as he examines Italian history, its most famous citizens from Dante, Garibaldi and Verdi to Berlusconi; and its many paradoxes. Essentially, he attributes the source of Italy’s glory to its 20 regions with their vastly different cultures, dialects and even cuisines rather than “its misconceived, mishandled notion of a united nation.” [$32.50; hardcover; 480 pages; Farrar, Straus and Giroux]

A Year in the Village of Eternity
By Tracey Lawson

Many people in Campodimele, a mountain village in central Italy, live to age 95. They have low blood pressure and cholesterol and stay active and healthy to the end. What is it about these villagers that allows them to enjoy such long, healthy lives? British journalist Lawson spent three years among them, chronicling their eating habits, work, exercise, friendships and traditions. Here she offers colorful anecdotes, photographs and more than 100 recipes that the villagers shared with her. [$30.00; hardcover; 374 pages; Bloomsbury]

The Day Before Happiness
By By Erri De Luca [Translated by Michael F. Moore]

From the most widely read Italian author alive today comes a novel about growing up in Naples after WW II. The narrator, an orphan, is “adopted” by Don Gaetano, a doorman, who tells him stories about city’s resistance during the war. They fish, work, and play together, but Don Gaetano has a secret: he can read minds. His life lessons help the young man years later when he falls in love with an engaged woman, the same young girl he’d fallen in love with after spotting her through a window in his youth. [$16.95; hardcover; 192 pages; Other Press, LLC]

Dante in Love
By A.N. Wilson

In this biography of Dante Alighieri, Wilson, a British novelist, ponders why the great Florentine poet is largely unread by many non-Italians. To help readers, he clears up misconceptions about this medieval genius, including Dante’s politics, his arranged marriage, and his obsession with Beatrice, a woman he barely knew. The book includes 24 full-color illustrations. [$35.00; hardcover; 400 pages; Farrar, Straus and Giroux]

ITALIAN FOLK
Vernacular Culture in Italian-American Lives
By Joseph Sciorra

This collection of 12 essays and articles takes an in-depth look at Italian American culture. Traditions such as basement kitchens, city garden fig trees, street festivals, Sicilian poetry written in Brooklyn, and the folklore of Italian witchcraft demonstrate the unique hybrid nature of transplanted Italians and their descendants. [$28.00; paperback; 288 pages; Fordham University Press]