Fleeting Rome: In Search of la Dolce Vita - Hardcover

Levi, Carlo

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0470871830 ISBN 13: 9780470871836

Publisher: Wiley, 2004

Synopsis

Only a renaissance man could have described this glorious city in its heyday. And only Carlo Levi, writer, painter, politician and one of the last century's most celebrated talents, could depict Rome at the height of its optimism and vitality after World War II. In Fleeting Rome, the era of post war 'La Dolce Vita' is brought magnificently to life in the daily bustle of Rome's street traders, housewives and students at work and play, the colourful festivities of Ferragosto and San Giovanni, the little theatre of Pulcinella al Pincio; all vibrant sights and sounds of this ancient, yet vital city.

About this title

About the Author

Carlo Levi (1902-1975), writer, painter and politician, was one of the great Italian talents of the twentieth century. He was interned in the South of Italy as an anti-fascist during the Second World War, where he wrote his masterpiece, Cristo si è fermato a Eboli (Christ stopped at Eboli). The work was subsequently turned into a film and became recognized as one of the great works of twentieth century literature. Subsequent works have included a wide range of fiction and non-fiction, including L’Orologio,(1950) Le parole sono pietre (1955), Le mille patrie, Lo specchio and Scritti di critica d’arte. From 1963 to 1972 he was a Senator of the Republic.

From the Back Cover

Fleeting Rome is a vibrant and evocative portrayal of everyday life in Rome from the end of World War II to the student movements of the 1960s. Levi skilfully and lovingly sketches a portrait of the city and of its inhabitants through changing seasons and changing times. Levi revels in the riotous celebrations for New Year and the many festivals through the year and rejoices in the beauty of the city in the early morning mist. He introduces the civil servant who spends his days collecting wild asparagus (a perfect employee who takes up no room in his office and causes no scandals), a peasant who wishes to be a writer, a writer who prefers football to talking about literature and thieves who masquerade as policemen. Rome for Levi is a constant joyous adventure that at every encounter and every street presents the casual stroller with a new and hidden delight.

From the Inside Flap

In this complex love affair with Rome, Carlo Levi explores the streets of the city that was for many years his home: a city at once fleeting and eternal, noble and plebeian, a city of dreams and illusions. Through the daily bustle of Rome’s street traders, housewives and students, the children at the little theatre of Pulcinella al Pincio, the men in the street cafés and the exuberant festivities of Ferragosto, San Giovanni and Befana, Levi brings magnificently to life Rome in the post war and Dolce Vita eras. Fleeting Rome vividly evokes the sounds of the city, its odours, its beauty and the aspirations of its people.

Edition details

• Publisher: Wiley
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0470871830
• ISBN 13: 9780470871836
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224