A true Story of a man who, fatherless and poor faces his life’s challenge, becoming a successful man, a piece of history, from the Avalanche operation with the Americans and Allies’ landing for liberating Italy, to the After War years, Italy’s reconstruction,the spirit of the After War men nowadays. Through the story of Orazio Boccia who in the After War period, in 2008 was knighted for services to industry being awarded the honorary title of Cavaliere del Lavoro, we can see pieces of the history of a time period and of the changes of a country, Italy. A charming book, to read in one breath, the reading of pages telling a real story is exciting, a leap into memory, past, present and future. A human existence in which destiny and hardships are accepted with spirit of sacrifice and hard work, courage, entrepreneurial intuition, passion and hope for the future. A still up-to-date message for the time we are living, which helps us to rediscover the future from our past. Bruno Bisogni and Roberto Race, the authors, write: “A deep, intense, story of passion, suffering and sense of responsibility, told through the eyes and voice of Orazio Boccia born in 1932. Orphan of father, when he was only 11 years old and an only son within a family with 5 children, he finds himself hanging out like a street-urchin with the Americans and the other allied military men. Shut in his town’s orphanage, called the “Enclosure”, he suffered from hunger and from the cold, together with a lot of boys of his age. The eyes of whom has nostalgia for the future and comes from a great life lesson.To go along his life again has been for us a unique experience”.

In a world that tends to homologate, thus becoming, in every aspect of our lives, grey, flat and uniform, so creating the world of universal similarity (including language), does it still make sense today to talk about vernacular theatre? Tackling such a question implies uncovering the reasons for the disappearance of the many regional theatres that were present in Italy in the nineteenth century. There is no doubt that first the unification of the country in 1861, and then the language policies of fascism in the ‘30s were the final nails in the coffin for local theatres. It is also true, however, that what really determined their downsizing was the progressive loss of connection with their own environment. If we give an essentially superficial interpretation to the adjective “vernacular”, and in a play we see a canovaccio (plot) that the local star uses as a vehicle to show his talent through a series of modest mannerisms, then “vernacular” implies the death certificate of this type of theatre (once the star dies, his alleged dramaturgy dies with him and his mannerisms). On the contrary, if we identify in this adjective the theatre’s healthy attempt to develop a local, social and cultural analysis of its environment, it opens a whole new meaning and acquires a perspective that a national theatre can never aspire to. This is the case of Neapolitan theatre. It managed to survive and thrive, producing plays that were capable of critically describing modern and contemporary reality. Neapolitan playwrights forcefully proclaimed their roots as a primary source for their work. The city, in fact, became a direct expression of that cultural microcosm which provided them with the living flesh of their plots.

The slums of early 20th century Naples is a dangerous place. Threatened by violence and disease, thirteen-year-old scugnizzo-street urchin-Giovanni survives by his wits and by alliances with the few he can trust. He and beautiful Filomena eventually escape to Brooklyn, America, founding their own business and home. Their Brooklyn family sends offshoots to LA, Las Vegas and the Ivy League. Family members serve America in both World Wars and in Korea.As Giovanni integrates into American life he maintains his good humor and finds family among Americans of all origins. But creeping racist attitudes threaten that broader family. Giovanni's scugnizzo experiences sharpen his own eye for underhanded and illegal activities by American authorities. Some question Giovanni's loyalty and whether he fully washed himself free of the filth of Naples' harbor.

This volume of Twentieth-Century Italian Drama covers the period spanning from the end of the nineteenth century to that immediately following World War II, displaying the rich breadth of Italian theater in the modern age, from the comedic legacy carried on by such writers as Eduardo De Filippo to the delicate tragedy of playwrights like Federigo Tozzi.Included are seven full-length plays, five one-act plays, one variety sketch, and three futurist sintesi (sketches). Brief introductions preceding each play contextualize the piece within the various movements in Italian theater, and biographies of the editors and translators appear at the end of the volume. An extensive bibliography offers many suggestions for further reading in English.The playwrights included are Gabriele D'Annunzio, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Ettore Petrolini, Raffaele Viviani, Pier Maria Rosso di San Secondo, Federigo Tozzi, Massimo Bontempelli, Achille Campanile, Italo Svevo, Luigi Pirandello, Eduardo De Filippo, and Ugo Betti.

First published in 1999. The many available scholarly works on Italian-Americans are perhaps 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. This rich legacy is examined in a collection of original essays that include portrayals of Italian characters in the films of Francis Coppola, Italian American poetry, the art of Frank Stella, the music of Frank Zappa, a survey of Italian folk customs and 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, observations and ethnic facts and fictions, this volume should prove to be 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.

"A page-turning whopper."-- Entertainment Weekly. The novel that took the nation by storm is now in paperback. Allan Folsom has created an international conspiracy of apocalyptic dimensions that interconnects three intricate and compelling stories spanning two continents and five decades.

A heart-thumping whirlwind of action, suspense & murder that reaches deep into the highest levels of Vatican power & uncovers a demonic scheme to massacre hundreds of thousands of Chinese in an attempt to establish a new Holy Roman Empire on the Chinese mainland in the twenty-first century.

"From the Renaissance and Mannerism to impressionism and Post-Impressionism, from the Gothic Revival to the Arts and Crafts Movement, and Art Nouveau, the history of Western Art is here narrated through more than 180 articles on its most significant styles and movements. Covering all forms of the visual arts - architecture and decorative arts as well as painting and sculpture, each survey discusses the origins, characteristics, leading players, and influence of the most important movements in European. North American, and Latin American art. With articles written in clear, straightforward language and with selective bibliographies, this extensive guide is an essential introduction for anyone with an interest in art and the arts in general."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved