Prisoners of Hope: The Silver Age of the Italian Jews, 1924-1974 [Paperback]

H. Stuart Hughes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1996 | ISBN-10: 0674707281 | ISBN-13: 978-0674707283

The cultural historian H. Stuart Hughes examines the works of Italo Svevo, Alberto Moravia, Carlo Levi, Primo Levi, Natalia Ginzburg, and Giorgio Bassani - six Italian prose writers of Jewish or part-Jewish origin - and shows how these writers combine in various measures their ancestral Jewish heritage with recent experiences of antisemitic persecution.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The years between 1924 and 1974 may indeed have been a silver age for the Italian Jews, but for Italian prose literature the age was golden. This distinguished book, which combines the expert skills of a seasoned historian with the understanding of a literary critic steeped in the language and literature of his subject, offers a challenging interpretation to those who already know these writers, and will serve as a masterly introduction for those whom it will inspire to make their acquaintance.
--Bernard Knox (New York Review of Books )

Hughes has written a provocative book...A work attentive to nuance and pleasurable to read.
--Adrian Lyttelton (Times Literary Supplement )

[An] elegantly written volume which probes the identity of modern Italian Jews through a sensitive reading of the works of six important Italian authors. The first work to address central issues of identity and assimilation in relation to Italian Jews, it evokes their unfamiliar world while suggesting the broader significance of their grappling with Judaism and modernity. Eschewing simplistic dichotomies, Hughes makes a valuable contribution to the study of Italian literature and Jewish history.
--Lois C. Dubin (Religious Studies Review )

This book should be read by anyone interested in either modern Italian literature or Italy's Jewish community. (Hadassah Magazine )

About the Author

H. Stuart Hughes is Professor of History, Emeritus, University of California, San Diego.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Press (February 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674707281
• ISBN-13: 978-0674707283
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #744,791 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.