The Italian World: History, Art and the Genius of a People

by John Julius Norwich, Karl Christ

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface.We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Genres: History, Italy, Art

Hardcover

First published September 5, 1983

About the author

John Julius Norwich was an English historian, writer, and broadcaster known for his engaging books on European history and culture. The son of diplomat and politician Duff Cooper and socialite Lady Diana Manners, he received an elite education at Eton, Strasbourg, and Oxford, and served in the Foreign Service before dedicating himself to writing full-time.
He authored acclaimed works on Norman Sicily, Venice, Byzantium, the Mediterranean, and the Papacy, as well as popular anthologies like Christmas Crackers. He was also a familiar voice and face in British media, presenting numerous television documentaries and radio programs. A champion of cultural heritage, he supported causes such as the Venice in Peril Fund and the World Monuments Fund.
Norwich’s wide-ranging output, wit, and accessible style made him a beloved figure in historical writing.

Reviews

[Jerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very nice combination overview of Italian history, with a focus on the influence of art, especially as influenced by the history that surrounds anyone who lives in Italy. Artists in post Roman Italy have always been surrounded by the relics of the past, some in ruins, and some in continual use.

It is one of the main attractions of Italian towns today that they wear their past gracefully, and this is certainly because there was never a break between past and present, but rather a gradual process of adaptation and transformation.

In many ways, Italy never really did recover from the Roman period. And when it did, it suffered continual setbacks.

The population of Lecce in the far south rose from 20,400 early in the century to 36,000 in 1595… and that of the city of Venice from 115,000 to some 180,000 on the eve of the plague—which, incidentally, is twice the figure for 1981.

Each section begins with several pages of color photographs, followed by an essay on the period in question. The final entry goes up to “the present” which is mostly the sixties with a passing reference or two to the seventies, such as the energy crisis—the final entry is not as focused on art as the other entries.

The book is at its best when it correlates historical changes with the art of that period.

It is not entirely perverse in a short essay on these hundred years of Italian history to attribute at least as great significance to an aria by Verdi as to all the theories underpinning the Risorgimento, for we will see later how extensive was the impact of music and how relatively limited the appeal of political change.

It’s an interesting book to have finished on the eve of Armistice Day.

Giambattista Vico… warned, unless the ’philosophers’ of the present age of enlightened monarchy were fully aware of how much effort had been required to lift them out of the barbarism that marked the age of Homer and the age of the Goths, barbarism might easily return.

[Dick Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr Norwich really doesn't do much writing here. The book is focused on arts, architecture, music and history. Several authors cover the different eras. The pictures were good and the writing was uneven in spots depending on the author.