That Fine Italian Hand [Paperback]

Paul Hofmann (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 1991

No other people over so long a history have shown a greater knack for survival than the Italians. In this wryly affectionate book, Hofmann reveals his adopted countrymen in all their glorious paradoxes, capturing their national essence as no other book has done since Luigi Barzini's classic, The Italians. The national art of "arrangement"-- dodging taxes, double-dealing, working only as hard as one must-- is counteracted by Italian inventive genius, gusto for life, fierce individuality, deep family bonds (as well as animosities), and a marvelously hedonistic sophistication.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Continuing his love affair with Italy, Hofmann ( Cento Citta ), former New York Times Rome bureau chief, offers an entertaining and shrewd appraisal of an ancient, ever-changing nation. Although indulgent of the Italian scene, he nonetheless recognizes the blemishes that mar its surface and the violent contrasts that perplex many visitors, especially the cultural differences and tensions between the progressive North and the still semi-feudal, Mafia-plagued South. Strikes, erratic museum and public service schedules and civic red tape and delays, along with ugly, noisy urban sprawls surrounding traffic-jammed ancient cities, he grants, are exasperating. However, the author counters, these astute, individualistic, resilient people who value life moment by moment and cultivate its pleasures with a rare tenacity survive by resourcefulness (" arrangiarsi ") and by maintaining strong family bonds (despite much-publicized sex scandals).
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

From the title, one might expect another of those travelogs or literate cookbooks that are often written about Italy, such as Barbara Grizzutti Harrison's Italian Days ( Weidenfeld, 1989). Instead, this book by the former New York Times bureau chief in Rome focuses mostly on the many social quirks and problems that are as much a part of Italian culture as pasta and espresso. Among the topics included are the Mafia, Italy's inclination toward anarchy, its overwhelming bureaucracy, and the ongoing prejudice of the affluent North toward the rural South. Though well researched, the book is written in a dispassionate, almost textbook-like style, with no personal slant or proposed solutions. Interesting and valuable from a sociological perspective, but recommended only for larger Italian studies collections.
- David Nudo, New York
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Holt Paperbacks (March 15, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805017291
• ISBN-13: 978-0805017298
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,163,100 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars That Unbalanced Hoffmann Hand, March 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: That Fine Italian Hand (Paperback)

If Italy and the Italian people are as bad as Paul Hoffmann makes them out to be in his "That Fine Italian Hand" then why has he been a non-Italian living in Italy for most of his life? His book focuses on the peculiarities and eccentricities of Italian life in a blatant attempt to make the Italians look like a nation of fools. Hoffman fails to balance descriptions with the other side of Italian life... that beautiful, colorful, lively and loving side that so many other cultures are lacking! Instead Hoffman describes ad nauseum some of the foibles of Italian life in an attempt to make the reader snicker. Hoffmann's book is ethnocentrism and cultural elitism at its worst. If the reader wants a honest look at Italian Life try Tim Park's "Italian Neighbors" instead. Parks is able to relate the ups and downs of Italian life as a non-Italian living in Italy. You will learn what it is about Italy that made Parks decide to stay in Italy and raise his children there.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reality check, July 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: That Fine Italian Hand (Paperback)

The author is very well informed. Some parts of the book may be out of date (red tape, for instance, has been significantly reduced since 1990), but most of it is simply correct. I have no way of knowing if the author would describe in the same diminutive, at times almost disparaging way institutions and traditions of his own country, but that is not very relevant, an educated reader can filter that out and just focus on the facts, which are mostly right on target. This is an executive report on the country, not a romanticized travelogue. If you believe that Italy is Paradise on Earth, and wonder why the rest of the world is not flocking there, perhaps you need to read this book (not that I want to spoil your illusions....) If, instead, you want to find out why so many persons speak highly of living in Italy, you probably need to look elsewhere.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Spent too much time in the newsroom, August 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: That Fine Italian Hand (Paperback)

Perhaps Paul Hoffman has spent too much time in newsrooms... After all, newscasters' job is to unearth the seedy, the awful, the criminal, the negative. And that's precisely what you'll read in this book. Hoffman offers a mind-numbing slew of negative stereotypes (as thoroughly researched as they may be, one could also provide dozens of anecdotes to support prejudices against the Irish, Jewish peoples, Africans, Swedes...). In this book, Hoffman tries to explain EVERY reason for EVERY problem Italy has EVER experienced--from littering and crotch-scratching to poor governmental structure to tax evasion. It's as one-sided a book as any of those awful "I bought the most beautiful house in Tuscany and had the most beautiful time with the most beautiful people" travelogues... just replace the word "beautfiul" with "bad."