Italian Life: A Modern Fable of Loyalty and Betrayal
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- Author：Tim Parks
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Summary
'Parks。。。offers detailed cultural observation， witty yet eagle-eyed， of what makes Italians so Italian' The Times
How does Italy really work？
When Valeria travels from hot， dusty Basilicata to begin her studies in a northern university town， she has little idea of the kind of education she will find there。 Italian Life is her story， and that of the students and professors around her: a story of power and corruption， influence and exclusion， and the workings of a society where your connections are everything。
Written with flair and insight， Italian Life joins Tim Parks' bestselling books about his beloved and paradoxical adopted country。 It is a gripping， entertaining， behind-the-scenes account of how Italy actually happens， and the ways it can surprise those who know it inside out。
'A satisfyingly truthful， entertaining and provocative comedy' Daily Telegraph
How does Italy really work？
When Valeria travels from hot， dusty Basilicata to begin her studies in a northern university town， she has little idea of the kind of education she will find there。 Italian Life is her story， and that of the students and professors around her: a story of power and corruption， influence and exclusion， and the workings of a society where your connections are everything。
Written with flair and insight， Italian Life joins Tim Parks' bestselling books about his beloved and paradoxical adopted country。 It is a gripping， entertaining， behind-the-scenes account of how Italy actually happens， and the ways it can surprise those who know it inside out。
'A satisfyingly truthful， entertaining and provocative comedy' Daily Telegraph
Reviews
Elisa
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2。5 As usual， Parks's observation on Italianness are spot-on and v interesting to read （not mention painful and/or disheartening at times） ， at least for those Italians like me who have a thing for an outsider's POV on our country。 I also liked Parks's fiction， but this time I feel like this book didn't really work as a novel， and that the content would have been better served as a plain non-fiction title。 2。5 As usual， Parks's observation on Italianness are spot-on and v interesting to read （not mention painful and/or disheartening at times） ， at least for those Italians like me who have a thing for an outsider's POV on our country。 I also liked Parks's fiction， but this time I feel like this book didn't really work as a novel， and that the content would have been better served as a plain non-fiction title。 。。。more
Sproloqui Di Deb
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La cruda realtà sottoforma di racconto， di come in Italia funzionino le cose。Alla fine ti viene da pensare e soprattutto un grande senso di vergogna。
David Allen
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Odd hybrid of dark academic comedy， Italian style， and sociological thesis on Italian institutions and culture。 Parks is probably settling some scores from his own university days but it's stylishly done and lots of got references to Italian literature and fables。 Odd hybrid of dark academic comedy， Italian style， and sociological thesis on Italian institutions and culture。 Parks is probably settling some scores from his own university days but it's stylishly done and lots of got references to Italian literature and fables。 。。。more
Rita
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ITALIAN UNIIVERSITYUn libro dall'andamento più saggistico che narrativo （ma da Tim Parks c'era da aspettarselo）， ma che ho comunque apprezzato per varie ragioni: i personaggi， a cui mi ha profondamente legata l'accurata analisi delle loro aspirazioni e relative incertezze; gli eventi， decisamente coinvolgenti e raccontati con uno stile spigliato e piacevole; i continui riferimenti all'Italia， che l'autore dimostra di conoscere veramente bene。 In merito a quest'ultimo aspetto， ho molto apprezzato ITALIAN UNIIVERSITYUn libro dall'andamento più saggistico che narrativo （ma da Tim Parks c'era da aspettarselo）， ma che ho comunque apprezzato per varie ragioni: i personaggi， a cui mi ha profondamente legata l'accurata analisi delle loro aspirazioni e relative incertezze; gli eventi， decisamente coinvolgenti e raccontati con uno stile spigliato e piacevole; i continui riferimenti all'Italia， che l'autore dimostra di conoscere veramente bene。 In merito a quest'ultimo aspetto， ho molto apprezzato i raffronti tra le situazioni vissute dai protagonisti e le novelle di Giovan Battista Basile， colte nel loro valore paradigmatico。Ma l'aspetto che più ha influenzato il mio giudizio positivo su "Italian life" è stata l'esplorazione di tutte le tematiche connesse all'ambiente universitario， con il quale sono quotidianamente a contatto。 Ho potuto dunque condividere con estrema facilità le riflessioni di Parks sulla difficoltà di valutare tesi di laurea e prestazioni d'esame; sulle evoluzioni non sempre positive del mondo accademico; sulla drammatica assenza di meritocrazia e il pullulare di favoritismi， raccomandati e leccapiedi。 "Perché tante storie italiane sono circondate da questo tremendo senso di rassegnazione [。。。]？ La società vince sempre。 Il potere annienta sempre。 Le lotte dei deboli non vanno quasi mai oltre un pathos di mesta dolcezza di cui i più saggi conformisti possono fruire dalle pagine di un romanzo o dallo schermo di un cinema， contenti di aver preso la giusta decisione nel conformarsi e nell'essersi fatti raccomandare。" 。。。more
Samantha
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Rating 3。5 starsItalian Life takes place in a Milan university in the north of Italy。 Valeria， a young woman from southern Italy， enrols together with thousands of others for a degree course that could take anything between three and ten years to complete。 Then there is James， an English professor who lives in Italy teaching English to the university students。 He discovers it's not what you know but who you know if you want to progress your career。It's not quite a novel， there was a lot of telli Rating 3。5 starsItalian Life takes place in a Milan university in the north of Italy。 Valeria， a young woman from southern Italy， enrols together with thousands of others for a degree course that could take anything between three and ten years to complete。 Then there is James， an English professor who lives in Italy teaching English to the university students。 He discovers it's not what you know but who you know if you want to progress your career。It's not quite a novel， there was a lot of telling me what was going on rather than showing。 However it was interesting to read how the Italian university life works， plus how the career for academia is a challenge。 I enjoy books that look at different cultures， so this is certainly something I would recommend if you like that type of book。I felt the end was rather rushed， it screamed to an abrupt halt and was suddenly over。 I felt I knew what happened to Valeria but in the case of James it seemed rather vague。I received this book from Netgalley in return for a honest review。 。。。more
Rowan
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Tim Parks has a great insight into Italian life。 I have been reading his books for about 20 yearsThis is another great book and as a part time Academic who teaches in Italy abd in Australia I relate very much with the themes in this latest noobBravo sig Tino
R。Bharat
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Today i completed ''Italian life'' by Tim parks subtitled 'A modern fable of loyalty and betrayal''。 And true to its theme the novel traces out between past and present， using fables， literature， political history and the challenges of a contemporary private university in Milan the ways art， politics， life， the life of the mind interweave and ricochet and blend in complicated ways。 The tapestry isn't meant to indicate erudition but for the narrative to establish patterns of commonality and diffe Today i completed ''Italian life'' by Tim parks subtitled 'A modern fable of loyalty and betrayal''。 And true to its theme the novel traces out between past and present， using fables， literature， political history and the challenges of a contemporary private university in Milan the ways art， politics， life， the life of the mind interweave and ricochet and blend in complicated ways。 The tapestry isn't meant to indicate erudition but for the narrative to establish patterns of commonality and difference between real life and its neat tidying up in narratives。 Yet the fabulist， the fictional， be it Giovanni vorga， machiavelli。 Natalia ginzburg， Alberto moravia， Dante （ both a national emblem as also an ironical one of exile and its concomitant emotional aftermath） as well as the fables with their attendant ogres and tangled family dynamics of loyalty and social cohesion threatened by rupture， insiders and outsiders correspond well with the modern framework of this private university 。 James， british， living in italy and working at the university constantly ponders on the dilemma of being ， as an outsider， the unknown quantity who is alternately sought after as an accomplice and pejoratively perceived ， despite success as a translator。 His attempt to navigate italian mores - especially the bureaucracy， the corruption， the ties of kinship impacting student lives， the ways power keeps mutating but finds methods of persistence represented by the Rector and the over theoretical and unmeritorious professor modesto， is unpacked with acuity and wry， self deprecation 。 The changes in this private university ， its struggle for funds， its relationship to Europe and EU， its struggle to stay afloat is compounded by internecine warring and conformity as it becomes an elite in group perpetuating itself yet unwilling to embrace outsiders wholeheartedly。 While Italy too is poised on this precarious identity crisis with Valeria ， who moves from the south to the north。 Through Valeria's peregrination of academe， from a naive belief in meritocracy to disillusion and fatalistic coexistence is explored the regional varieties of/within Italy， its local and region specific difference pitted against a globalized uniformity that impacts this university in a microcosmic but telling way。 The necessity to procure funds， to survive， to be alert to the Europeanized space yet assert the sovereignty of italian ness is communicated in deft touches in this fictional mode。 Caught in a web that is inescapably Italian but equally resonant of the corruptibility within academia and the allegiances it exacts， the overburdened system supplanting quality with quantity ， the middling fare that passes off as esoteric analysis while scrupulous academics like James， Antonio and Federica try to counterbalance expedience with principle in a manner painfully redolent of what i've witnessed in indian universities too。 Italian life works with great subtlety- nothing is superadded as ponderous exposition or commentary but the small details seem to create an effect i can as a reader inhabiting a space of moral ambivalence and mixed motives in the context of globalization appreciate and find evocative from my indian vantage point。 In a way slivers of Italian ness are ineluctably presented - the ties of family， the propinquity of groups， be it families or the academics or regions such as Basilicata or milan -the often irreconcilable gulf between the imperative to stick together and the moments when such closeness can be stifling and involve abdication from personal values。 The characters move through the years ， as does the socio economic ， political， cultural reality that concenters them and there is a sense of things changing yet unalterably the same ， with intermittent private areas of life modifying， acclimatizing and altering in complex ways， much as life's own trajectory is never linear or encompassable in strictly delineated parameters。 This modern fable is wry and worldly but simultaneously irresistibly fascinated and repelled by the machinations of politics and culture， of the arbitrariness in the functionality as well as the high handedness of power ， that is coercive when it is deemed warrantable and unceremoniously dismissive in treating those who are outside the charmed circle as expendable ， power at once cloying and familiar but equally instilling profound misgiving and self questioning。 Italian life is my ninth Tim parks novel and one of my favourites - it isn't necessary to interpret the novel as definitive in its understanding of italy but it is a well constructed story coming from the fruit of almost four decades the writer has spent in Italy。 Having perused the occasional columns on italy by Tim parks i also recall Europa whose narrator tries to explore his contradictory feelings for the representation of outsider's rights at the european commission for academics in italy ， or in Destiny where the italian character is sought to be plumbed and flounders as the narrator works through the ingathering rivulets of contending realities of an overwrought subjective ， bodily crisis in a convoluted external reality or the recent lockdown columns - one sees the relationship to Italy， reveal shifting facets and an understanding never complete but expanding ， widening。 Italian life's universe is bigger in its cast of characters， in the composite mini histories of minor characters skillfully related and the less frenetic， more measured narrative tone。 And it marks yet another interesting contemporaneous novel by Tim parks whose singularity in unmistakable in being a novelist of the present which requires a vigilance， scepticism and willingness to interrogate pieties of homogeneity and cultural consensus which he does compunctiously 。 。。。more
Chris
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A light but insightful read about Italian life in the Italian university system
John
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A reflective take on Italian life， literature and culture woven around the lives and loves of a small group of academics and students， with James， an English ex-pat as the focal point。 I would have loved to have been able to read this while travelling through Italy， contemplating the complexities， contradictions and joys that Italy presents。
Colin
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This is lightly fictionalised social commentary。 It blends all of Parks's natural strengths: erudition， wit， perspicacity， self-knowledge and humour。 His occasional weaknesses （character development， narrator solipsism， caricature） seem less to the fore than in more straightforward works of fiction。 This certainly feels like a very personal book whatever the realities or fictions it weaves; therefore it evokes a guilty pleasure watching from the sidelines。 This is lightly fictionalised social commentary。 It blends all of Parks's natural strengths: erudition， wit， perspicacity， self-knowledge and humour。 His occasional weaknesses （character development， narrator solipsism， caricature） seem less to the fore than in more straightforward works of fiction。 This certainly feels like a very personal book whatever the realities or fictions it weaves; therefore it evokes a guilty pleasure watching from the sidelines。 。。。more
Rebekah Roma
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This is a hard book for me to review because I read it to get more of an insight to my heritage but also at the same time that I became disillusioned with the profession i'm entering into。 It ended up reinforcing the ultimate despair I feel about society everywhere being a festering pile of rot， with my Motherland being no different， so I can't decide if I like the book or hate it for this reason。 It follows two protagonists， an English professor James teaching at a private Milanese university a This is a hard book for me to review because I read it to get more of an insight to my heritage but also at the same time that I became disillusioned with the profession i'm entering into。 It ended up reinforcing the ultimate despair I feel about society everywhere being a festering pile of rot， with my Motherland being no different， so I can't decide if I like the book or hate it for this reason。 It follows two protagonists， an English professor James teaching at a private Milanese university and a PHD student from Basilicata Valeria and their attempts to navigate the immensely political bureaucracy of private Italian universities。 The character of James seems to be a fictional recreation of Tim Parks and a vehicle through which the author can express his observations on Italy after living there for 40 years and marrying an Italian woman。 The book integrates the narratives of many Italian fables and works of literature to explain various incomprehensible situations and the complexity of Italian culture; Both incredibly generous and warm， but quick to punish disloyalty and intensely distrustful of outsiders。 I don't necessarily think this was the most well-written book I've read。 The third person narration switched tenses sometimes which proved for clunky reading， and at other times the book just outlined events that took place in an almost bullet point-like fashion。 Many of the key themes were spelled out directly either in dialogue or characters' thoughts which didn't create a tone or atmosphere for the narrative so much as it acted as a promulgation of Parks' ideas。 I understand the book was meant to be a work of cultural observation， however， I wonder then if fiction was the best form for this considering the awkwardness of narrative flow and voice。 Considering the amount of weight and time in the book spent outlining the synopsis of various fables I expected the work to conform to one of the tropes at the end to tie it all together （i。e。 have one of the main characters saved by a sibling） but the final chapter read almost like a brief 'where are they now' rather than drawing to a resolved conclusion。 I did enjoy the read， lots of things happened quite quickly which kept the plot moving in many different directions and I kept reading because I was excited to see what would happen rather than because I was awed by the language used to get there。 Which， again， is the kind of reading I with for non-fiction rather than fiction。 But I do feel that I have a less romanticised and more real understanding of Italian culture。Quotes I enjoyed:- Because life itself， perhaps， was a process of disillusionment- Bocciare is the word most commonly used for fail in the context of exams。 Oddly， the idea seems to have come from the game of bowls， bocce， where bocciare means to use your ball to push an opponent's ball away from the objective。 It's a sneaky， aggressive move that prevents another person from wining。 Sono stato bocciato。 I've been pushed away。 I've been， if not actually excluded， then distanced。 Mandato via。 Sent away， is another expression for failing an exam。 Or respinto， rejected。 I've been rejected。 In all these expressions there is the suggestion of an agent - a professor， a teacher， a commission - who has done this unkind thing to you。 One never says， as in the English， the simple intransative， I failed。 'I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to repeat the exam。'James has learned not to use u pleasant terms。 。。。more
Martin Pilkington
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I have read a number of the other books that Tim Parks has written about Italy。 They are non-fiction and I liked them a lot。 Tim Parks has written a number of novels too。 I've read one， Cara Massimina， and I hated it。 The non-fiction books made the idea of living in Italy seem very attractive。 Halfway through this book I realised I would have hated to work in the sort of environments that are discussed， and would probably not want to live there either。 The author （Tim） states in the introduction I have read a number of the other books that Tim Parks has written about Italy。 They are non-fiction and I liked them a lot。 Tim Parks has written a number of novels too。 I've read one， Cara Massimina， and I hated it。 The non-fiction books made the idea of living in Italy seem very attractive。 Halfway through this book I realised I would have hated to work in the sort of environments that are discussed， and would probably not want to live there either。 The author （Tim） states in the introduction that the Englishman in the central role， James （Jim） isn't completely the author， Tim （Timothy）。 After all James went to Oxford and Yale and was born in London whereas Tim went to Cambridge and Harvard and only lived in London！ Of course Tim， as he admits， is part the central role and part not。 After all this is described as a fable， not as non-fiction。 I'm sure there must be people like Beppe Ottone and Bettina Modesto in Universities in Italy， and elsewhere， let's hope we don't come across them。 。。。more
Becky
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Can I give more than 5 stars？ Absolutely wonderful。 This was not quite the book I was expecting but did not disappoint in any way。An exposè of some of the byzantine corruptions within Italian academia， and Italian society as a whole， but still with the gentle affection towards his adopted homeland that you expect from Parks' books。 Can I give more than 5 stars？ Absolutely wonderful。 This was not quite the book I was expecting but did not disappoint in any way。An exposè of some of the byzantine corruptions within Italian academia， and Italian society as a whole， but still with the gentle affection towards his adopted homeland that you expect from Parks' books。 。。。more
notgettingenough
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On his website Tim Parks insists that much of this novel is made up…and maybe that’s true。 On the other hand， you can see why he’d need to say that。To begin with， the reader is mainly laughing whilst shaking their head。 But as the story unfolds， it begins to horrify and you realise that you don’t even know how that happened， the process by which the laughing stopped。 The night before I finished it， I had an angry sleep。 James’ boss， the Rector， is – put-downable， by which I mean the world would On his website Tim Parks insists that much of this novel is made up…and maybe that’s true。 On the other hand， you can see why he’d need to say that。To begin with， the reader is mainly laughing whilst shaking their head。 But as the story unfolds， it begins to horrify and you realise that you don’t even know how that happened， the process by which the laughing stopped。 The night before I finished it， I had an angry sleep。 James’ boss， the Rector， is – put-downable， by which I mean the world would be a much better place without this scumbag。 I laid in bed probably feeling about the same as Robert De Niro does the night before he does the scenes where he bashes people’s heads in with whatever sporting equipment he happens to be carrying at the time。 BRING IT ON。 Memo to PA: cancel my craps game in the morning。 I’m playing baseball。Another way of putting all this is that it’s very hard to believe it’s made up。 It could scarcely feel more real。 And， as is so often the case when I read literature set in Italy， I see my own childhood， which was quite brutal in parts， on the page。 The irony being that my father perpetuated what he had intended to avoid when raising kids。 Uggggh。rest here: https://alittleteaalittlechat。wordpre。。。 。。。more
Nigel
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A fascinating insight into how Italy works as told by an English academic battling against the built in prejudices and machinations of deference， respect， loyalty and recognition in Italian institutional life。 What might make sense for an Italian in terms of use of power and the wielding of influence， favours and patronage only baffles and frustrates an outsider。 The story might meander a bit but it is obviously told from heartfelt experience。 A telling and often chilling observational analysis。
Sarah Burton
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Italian Life is a novel with it's roots in reality， the story of Italian student Valeria and English professor James as they navigate the politics of getting on in a private Italian University。 Valeria is desperate to escape her family in the South but even on her journey by train to university in Milan her family keep an eye on her， it is only when she reaches Milan does she feel out of their reach。 James has had to learn how things are done in Italy to progress in his career and that no matter Italian Life is a novel with it's roots in reality， the story of Italian student Valeria and English professor James as they navigate the politics of getting on in a private Italian University。 Valeria is desperate to escape her family in the South but even on her journey by train to university in Milan her family keep an eye on her， it is only when she reaches Milan does she feel out of their reach。 James has had to learn how things are done in Italy to progress in his career and that no matter how many years he lives in Italy he will always be seen by most as an outsider。Italian Life doesn't always portray life in Italy as " La Dolce Vita" ， in fact it exposes the slightly darker and less moral side of bureaucracy which can also be seen within families。The layout of the story makes it very easy to read and follow， the cross references to fables at the start of chapters shows that we haven't changed much。I was given a copy of Italian Life by NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review。 。。。more
Lalla Lovaro
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As a half Italian who grew up in Italy， this was a very interesting book。 Having attended university in English-speaking countries， in a way I have always wondered what life might have been had I continued my studies in my homeland instead。 After reading this book， I feel I have dodged a bullet （or even a torpedo really！）。 It is not a surprise though， if I am honest。 Within the first pages of the book Tim Parks， a British writer who has lived in Italy since the early 80s， refers to Italy and "th As a half Italian who grew up in Italy， this was a very interesting book。 Having attended university in English-speaking countries， in a way I have always wondered what life might have been had I continued my studies in my homeland instead。 After reading this book， I feel I have dodged a bullet （or even a torpedo really！）。 It is not a surprise though， if I am honest。 Within the first pages of the book Tim Parks， a British writer who has lived in Italy since the early 80s， refers to Italy and "the wonderful human warmth of the place， its systematic cruelty"。 How accurate！ The author does a good job of putting down in words the disconcertingly duplicitous nature of Italy and Italians， at once warm and cruel， as it is a hard state of being to convey to the non-initiated。 Often Italians tell Tim Parks that he wouldn't understand as he is a foreigner， but in fairness， after 40 years of living in the country， he does a good job of understanding the internal machinations of the country and its people。 When Italians are good， they are really good， and when they are bad， they are really bad。 But unfortunately all good Italians are inevitably victims and prey of the bad Italians and have to become implicated， in some shape or form， in the corruption spreading like a cancer from the bad Italians。 Towards the end of the book this dynamic is abstracted even further， suggesting that a bad Italian would not be a bad Italian if living abroad and that even perpetrators are， to an extent， involuntary victims of the system。 Indeed， there are occasions in which the protagonist， James， an English professor in an Italian private university in Milan， finds himself entangled in the sycophantic hierarchy and asphyxiating chain of "raccomandazioni" （recommendations） that his career has been depending on more than he wishes for。 Parks quotes an Italian saying when referring to one of his British senior colleagues， who has become a seasoned Italian at this point: "Inglese italianizzato， diavolo incarnato" （Italianised English， devil incarnate）。 The idea of leaving one's country and the impossibility of returning is also touched upon at times。James is very much an avatar for Tim Parks， similar to the extent in fact that you can only assume that Parks was looking to stave off any legal challenges by choosing to write in the style of fiction。 One is from London and has studied at Oxford and Yale。 The other is from Manchester and studied at Cambridge and Harvard。 Both are translators from Italian into English and have had a long career in Italian academia， particularly in a private Milanese university。 Both married an Italian woman who they then divorced after having children with。 Both lived for many years in a provincial town （Verona in Parks' case） and eventually moved to Milan after years of commuting。The other main protagonist is a young student from the south of Italy， Valeria， and the book follows her career from first year student to PhD student and her tentative attempts to establish an academic career。 I felt this character was not as well developed。 In fact， aside from the very well executed account of the complexities and challenges of having a career in the Italian academic world （and frankly often a career in general）， this book is not as successful in its realisation as a fully fledged novel。 I feel that， had the author just kept this as a work of non-fiction， it would have improved in quality， but the chosen form of fiction limited it unnecessarily。 Throughout the book， Parks references the reality he is immersed in with works of Italian Literature （mainly Giambattista Basile， Cesare Pavese， Ignazio Silone， Dante， Natalia Ginzburg， Niccolò Macchiavelli， but also others） and considers its recurring themes of insider/outsider and of the costs of not conforming to the community/family。 I think that had Parks framed the content of his analysis solely along these considerations and illustrated these through anecdotes and observations， this would have deserved a four star rating or more。 But the narrative conceit he has chosen for this （be it for legal reasons or not）， I think ultimately cheapened the output and resulted in me giving it a 3。5 star rating。 More generally I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in Italy and Italian life as it is very good in conveying complexities and realities that you won't find in the average "A Place in the Sun" style of books。 But as a novel in and of itself， it may be more difficult for it to find a natural home in the general audience。Many thanks to Harvill Secker and NetGalley for sending me a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Sonja van der Westhuizen | West Words Reviews
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Tim Parks is a British novelist， translator， author and professor of literature。 He moved to Italy in 1981 and has lived there ever since with his Italian wife and three children。 He has written fourteen novels published in half a dozen countries。 Over the years he has written extensively about life in Italy – Preceding Italian Life were Italian Neighbours （1992）， An Italian Education （1996） and Italian Ways （2013）。Right from the get-go Parks states that Italian Life is not a memoirs。 The fact t Tim Parks is a British novelist， translator， author and professor of literature。 He moved to Italy in 1981 and has lived there ever since with his Italian wife and three children。 He has written fourteen novels published in half a dozen countries。 Over the years he has written extensively about life in Italy – Preceding Italian Life were Italian Neighbours （1992）， An Italian Education （1996） and Italian Ways （2013）。Right from the get-go Parks states that Italian Life is not a memoirs。 The fact that James， his main character is also an academic living in Italy is merely a minor similarity。Full review on my blog: https://westwordsreviews。wordpress。co。。。 。。。more
Steve
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As always this review， along with many others， is also on my blog at: https://livemanylives。wordpress。com/I fell in love with what I saw of Italy on Channel 4’s Football Italia in the early 90s。 It was a naïve relationship based more around drinking espresso in sun-baked piazzas and headlines of Totti， than the true workings of the nation。 It did lead me to Tim Parks though， initially through his football classic A Season with Verona， in which he followed the Hellas Verona ultras， and then his m As always this review， along with many others， is also on my blog at: https://livemanylives。wordpress。com/I fell in love with what I saw of Italy on Channel 4’s Football Italia in the early 90s。 It was a naïve relationship based more around drinking espresso in sun-baked piazzas and headlines of Totti， than the true workings of the nation。 It did lead me to Tim Parks though， initially through his football classic A Season with Verona， in which he followed the Hellas Verona ultras， and then his memoir Italian Neighbours about his own life in Italy。His latest book， Italian Life， is less of a memoir and more an exploration of Italian culture through the eyes of the people working in a private university in Milan。 Parks uses two composite characters， James and Valeria， to share the insights of his four decades living in the country and working as an author， translator and university professor。 James is a British professor married and divorced from an Italian， with an Italian son， working at the same university where Valeria studies for first her undergraduate， then her higher degree and finally a Phd， having moved north from Basilicata。The various relationships that these two central characters have are where we get to see the cultural rules and responsibilities that dominate Italian life。 James with his colleagues and superiors as he tries to make an academic career for himself but struggles to come to terms with the requirement to “respect” those in authority， however incapable he may actually believe them to be。 Valeria with her friends， boyfriends and the expectations of her family， as she seeks to create an independent life for herself and is eventually also caught up in the politics of academia。Italian Life is an enjoyable and easy read， but it also asks more questions than the other Tim Parks books that I have read。 It makes you wonder why he sticks with it in the face of so much frustration， how has Italy bound itself to him so that he seeks to mould into it rather than flee？ As your mind drifts， it asks similar questions about your own culture and the tug of war that plays out in your life as you balance the inevitable good and bad of the country where you live。 This feels very relevant to me at this particular moment in time。Parks paints a picture of Italian culture that feels very constricting。 It is easy to imagine the Italians as elegant， flamboyant Mediterraneans， but life through this lens appears to be controlled and authoritarian， with strict rules and expectations and a clear hierarchy that commands complete loyalty。 It is easy to see where some of the more troubling aspects of Italian history might have found fertile soil。A key theme in the book is the notion of insiders and outsiders。 This importance of being part of the community is demonstrated repeatedly， within James and Valeria’s own stories and the various cultural references to Italian writing and folk tales。 There seems to be a tension here， a desire to see someone else break out of the suffocating system， but a reluctance to be that person and a need to find a way back into its uncomfortable embrace。 It is both frustrating and fascinating and perhaps that is why James persists through the decades。For anyone with an interest in Italian culture this is a straightforward way in。 It offers its insight within a recognisable setting with engaging characters and the author acts as a friendly guide， gently leading you through the traditions， confrontations and sleights of hand of the protagonists。 As someone with an interest in， but little direct experience of， Italian life I found it both interesting and entertaining and would recommend it to anyone of similar circumstance。 。。。more
Helen Ostler
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