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4 Burnside Travel Writing- Italy

More copies of this ISBN:

Desiring Italy: Women Writers Celebrate the Passions of a Country and Culture

by Susan Cahill

Desiring Italy: Women Writers Celebrate the Passions of a Country and Culture Cover

ISBN13: 9780449910801
ISBN10: 0449910806
Condition: Standard
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Under the spell of la dolce vita...

For centuries Italy has been many things to many people. In this brilliant anthology and traveler's companion, twenty-eight first-rate women writers reveal why the land that is the heart and soul of European civilization is so seductive to women.

Kate Simon walks us through a Siena filled with surprises and luminous beauty. Elizabeth Spencer writes of first coming to Italy and finding "home." Shirley Hazzard explores the mysteries of Naples. Muriel Spark writes on Venice, Edith Wharton on Rome, George Eliot on Florence, Barbara Grizzuti Harrison on San Gimignano, Patricia Hampl on Assisi. Other wonderful writers contemplate the idiosyncratic glories of Italy's architecture, cooking, art, and landscape; its culture; its places and people.

As these writers tell their stories — in fiction, memoir, and essay — of coming to understand Italy, they explore the complexity of their passions for it, mingling affection and ecstasy with intellectual curiosity. Organized geographically — from northern Italy to Rome and on to the south, Desiring Italy offers an enchanting journey for readers and travelers.

Review:

"[A] fascinating contemporary walking tour of the places mentioned in each selection." Library Journal

Review:

"[A] literary Baedeker, as well as a historical and cultural one." Entertainment Weekly
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About the Author

Susan Cahill, Ph.D., is the editor of many anthologies, including Women and Fiction, as well as three works of nonfiction.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
giarnese, May 12, 2007 (view all comments by giarnese)
Crossing the dark waters from Venice en route to the Lido, I watch a woman so intent upon her reading that she seems oblivious to the haunting beauty visible in all directions. As we slow in our approach to the landing area, I ask what she is reading. It is Desiring Italy, she says, given to her by her mother in anticipation of this trip. I record it in my journal , it is the first book I buy upon arriving home. Written by a group of women writers, it is a joyous celebration of all things Italian. It evokes cultural traditions, artistic impressions and history as it lyrically describes the glories of Italian locales. How fortunate the person who has this book as a traveling companion. Just as Venice's twisting alleyways and canals create a desire for roving, this anthology lures the reader to a passion for "la dolce vita". The autobiographical slant resonates with how Italy has imprinted itself in the hearts and souls of the women who write about it and all who visit there.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780449910801
Subtitle:
Women Writers Celebrate the Passions of a Country and Culture
Author:
Cahill, Susan
Publisher:
Ballantine Books
Location:
New York :
Subject:
General
Subject:
Description and travel
Subject:
Italy
Subject:
Literature
Subject:
History & Criticism *
Subject:
Europe - Italy
Subject:
Essays & Travelogues
Subject:
Women travelers
Subject:
Visitors, Foreign
Subject:
Women travelers -- Italy.
Subject:
Italy Description and travel.
Subject:
Visitors, Foreign -- Italy.
Copyright:
1997
Edition Number:
1st ed.
Edition Description:
Includes bibliographical references p. 359-362.
Series Volume:
25
Publication Date:
April 1997
Binding:
Paperback
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
384
Dimensions:
8.26x5.54x.84 in. .97 lbs.
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