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Chiaroscuro: Essays on Identity: Revised Edition
“A lively, lucid, and often extremely moving collection of essays.”—Sandra Gilbert, author of Wrongful A Memoir
“Barolini’s essays moved me. Their commitment, their passion, their intelligence struck me very powerfully and made them among the most incisive essays on Italian-Americana, ethnicity, and diversity in literature that I have ever read.”—Fred Misurella, author of Understanding Milan Public Events, Private Affairs and Short Time
Part memoir, part social commentary, and part literary criticism, Chiaroscuro is not only profoundly original but also of crucial importance in establishing the contours of an Italian-American tradition. Spanning a quarter century of work, the essays in Helen Barolini’s essays explore her personal search; literature as a formative influence; and the turning of the personal into the political. Included in Chiaroscuro is an updated re-introduction to Barolini’s American Book Award-winning collection, The Dream An Anthology of Writings by Italian-American Women.
“Barolini’s essays moved me. Their commitment, their passion, their intelligence struck me very powerfully and made them among the most incisive essays on Italian-Americana, ethnicity, and diversity in literature that I have ever read.”—Fred Misurella, author of Understanding Milan Public Events, Private Affairs and Short Time
Part memoir, part social commentary, and part literary criticism, Chiaroscuro is not only profoundly original but also of crucial importance in establishing the contours of an Italian-American tradition. Spanning a quarter century of work, the essays in Helen Barolini’s essays explore her personal search; literature as a formative influence; and the turning of the personal into the political. Included in Chiaroscuro is an updated re-introduction to Barolini’s American Book Award-winning collection, The Dream An Anthology of Writings by Italian-American Women.
232 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1995
16 people want to read
About the author
Helen Barolini
26 books14 followersHelen Barolini was born and raised in Syracuse, NY and attended local schools. She attended Wells College,graduated magna cum laude from Syracuse University and received a Master's degree from Columbia University. She was an exchange student at the University of London where she studied contemporary English literature, and then traveled in Europe writing "Letters from Abroad" for the Syracuse Herald Journal. Following studies in Italy, she married the late Italian author and journalist Antonio Barolini.
In their married life of several moves between Italy and the United States, Helen Barolini became the English translator of Antonio's writings that were published in The New Yorker, Reporter and other American publications.
Given the intercultural themes of her work linking her American birth and education with her ancestral Italy, Helen Barolini has participated in international conferences and her work has been the subject of many student theses both here and abroad.
She has been honored by MELUS, the Hudson Valley Writers Center and other organizations for her literary work.
In their married life of several moves between Italy and the United States, Helen Barolini became the English translator of Antonio's writings that were published in The New Yorker, Reporter and other American publications.
Given the intercultural themes of her work linking her American birth and education with her ancestral Italy, Helen Barolini has participated in international conferences and her work has been the subject of many student theses both here and abroad.
She has been honored by MELUS, the Hudson Valley Writers Center and other organizations for her literary work.
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February 15, 2020
I only read three essays in this anthology and skimmed the rest, so I do not think that I can ethically state that I have read this book, but I did enjoy the three essays that I read: "Buried Alive by Language", "The Case of the Missing Italian American Writers", and especially "Writing to a Brick Wall".
"Writing to a Brick Wall" is about Barolini's love-hate relationship with the New York Times. She reads it every day, but she is almost always angered by its one dimensional coverage of Italian Americans. So she writes letters to the editor that are never published.
I also have a love-hate relationship with the Times. I admire its comprehensiveness, but I hate its palpable liberal bias. I also do not like its coverage of Italian Americans, and the Times never printed a letter that I sent criticizing a Times editorial concerning the mass lynching of Italian Americans in New Orleans in 1891. More about that below.
As for this book, Barolini writes well, and I look forward to reading some of her other books.
If you are interested in knowing more about the mass lynching of Italian Americans in New Orleans in 1891 and the Times response, read on.
On March 14, 1891, a New Orleans mob killed 11 innocent Italian-Americans, the largest lynching in American history. (If you want to know more about this incident, read "Vendetta" by Richard Gambino, which was also made into an HBO film.)
On March 16, 1891, the Times published an editorial not condemning but applauding the conduct of the mob and describing the victims in the most vile terms, referring to them as "sneaking and cowardly Sicilians, the descendants of bandits and assassins...."
This incident led to recognizing Columbus Day and its observance by Italian Americans as Italian American Heritage Day.
The Times has never apologized for this editorial, despite many requests from Italian Americans and Italian American organizations, and even though on April 12, 2019, the current Mayor of New Orleans apologized for the City's conduct.
On March 16, 1891, the New York Times was on the wrong side of history. It is not too late to rectify that error. The New York Times should apologize to the Italian-American community for its editorial!
"Writing to a Brick Wall" is about Barolini's love-hate relationship with the New York Times. She reads it every day, but she is almost always angered by its one dimensional coverage of Italian Americans. So she writes letters to the editor that are never published.
I also have a love-hate relationship with the Times. I admire its comprehensiveness, but I hate its palpable liberal bias. I also do not like its coverage of Italian Americans, and the Times never printed a letter that I sent criticizing a Times editorial concerning the mass lynching of Italian Americans in New Orleans in 1891. More about that below.
As for this book, Barolini writes well, and I look forward to reading some of her other books.
If you are interested in knowing more about the mass lynching of Italian Americans in New Orleans in 1891 and the Times response, read on.
On March 14, 1891, a New Orleans mob killed 11 innocent Italian-Americans, the largest lynching in American history. (If you want to know more about this incident, read "Vendetta" by Richard Gambino, which was also made into an HBO film.)
On March 16, 1891, the Times published an editorial not condemning but applauding the conduct of the mob and describing the victims in the most vile terms, referring to them as "sneaking and cowardly Sicilians, the descendants of bandits and assassins...."
This incident led to recognizing Columbus Day and its observance by Italian Americans as Italian American Heritage Day.
The Times has never apologized for this editorial, despite many requests from Italian Americans and Italian American organizations, and even though on April 12, 2019, the current Mayor of New Orleans apologized for the City's conduct.
On March 16, 1891, the New York Times was on the wrong side of history. It is not too late to rectify that error. The New York Times should apologize to the Italian-American community for its editorial!
Displaying 1 of 1 review