The Dark Heart of Italy

Rating:
Summary: Time to reconsider our patronizing love for Italy
Review: After all the praise for Tuscany and the Italian charms, let's welcome a realistic discussion by an Englishman who was disappointed after living a few years in Italy. It's funny how hasty tourists usually celebrate Italy while those who actually live there, like Jones, or Tim Parks, or Donna Leon, find a lot of negative aspects. Probably, this comes from the fact that Italians nurture appearances ("bella figura") while hiding their true feelings. So, when strangers get to know the real Italy, they feel betrayed.
In the past, strangers felt obliged to be nice to Italians who were economically underdeveloped compared to northern Europeans. Today central and northern Italy has a per-capita income which is 20% higher than the average income in France, Germany or the UK. It is time to judge Italians without condescension.

Rating:
Summary: If you really want to learn about Italy, don't read this!
Review: I bought this book after reading extracts in the Financial Times, and enjoyed the read thoroughly. Living in a foreign country, I found the author's observations an interesting parallel to my experiences. This is not Bill Bryson-like witty vignettes, but an in-depth observation of a complex society, constantly stirred up by dynamics that would be unfamiliar to many Americans, and now beset by a regime that might ring some bells of recognition in the US. Jones clearly knitted this book together from a series of essays, and sometimes the seams show, but he focuses on some defining issues for Italian culture, -- from overbuilding, football, and the media, to a long battle with terrorism, the power of the Vatican, and the role of death and beauty in Italian life -- all while describing his own period of adjustment to the country, with relevant incidents that illustrate his point. This is a good read for ex-pats who want to understand what getting under the skin of a culture is about - but not for those looking just for Bella Italia.

Rating:
Summary: Good background but not an incisive masterpiecec
Review: I was given this book by a colleague after spending a week in Italy with him on business so that I could better understand a lot of what I had failed to understand over that week!

That Tobias Jones is an amusing and entertaining writer is clear as one works through the chapters and this is in part due to many chapters being originally magazine articles and so have a self contained conciseness. The book is thus a great "toe dipper" in that one can read each chapter alone and overall get a good feel for modern Italy across a great variety of topics including Italian language, the Catholic Church, Football, the reasons for the schism between Left and Right and the experience of Berloscuni's second rise to power and subsequent "benevolent dictatorship" model that ensued. As a future or recent visitor to Italy this all makes for great background reading.

However, this is not a great book in being insightful or incisive as to why Italy is as it is, especially today under Berloscuni and so soon after the "Clean Hands" uprising that led to the quick and unforeseen collapse of the Second Republic. Many chapters are padded out with a synopsis type history of Italy that in a magazine article may work but in chapter after chapter in a book do not. The most extreme example is the chapter on the Sofri case which at 23 pages has only just over three pages on actually meeting with Sofri in prison which is the reason for the story.

Also one suspects that Jones is one clearly in love with Italy but may be too close and so lose some objectivity, as evidenced in his closing chapter on the Italian fascination with Death where the role of the Catholic Church in perpetuating (Jackie Kennedy's famous quote that the one thing the Catholic Church really understood was how to use death)is never mentioned. Also the disparaging quote on the cover by Berloscuni's Minister of Communications about Jones is better understood when one reads the numerous references to him within the book.

Rating:
Summary: Beyond the Tuscan sun: 21st century Italian politics
Review: If your interest in Italy goes beyond travel guides to Tuscany, Florence, and Rome (which I have also reviewed on this website), you might find this analysis of Italian politics and society at the turn of the century very informative. Even while I was enjoying monuments and countryside in Venice and Tuscany, I found it hard to put down the sober assessment of Italian society and politics in this book which I picked up in a Roman bookstore.

For Jones, a British author, is not an occasional visitor to Italy, but instead spent four years travelling through the Italian peninsula seeking to unravel some of its enigmatic political institutions and attitudes. Much of the book is solidly researched and he extensively draws from numerous references in Italian which he translates himself. Knowing well that much of this beautiful country is well described elsewhere, he does not seek to prettify any of the issues he discusses, whether it is political corruption (a major theme of the book), religion, or football.

For example, his chapter on the workings of Italy's Slaughter Commission, a parlimentary investigation into a series of bloody bombings in Italian cities from the 1960s to the 1980s, is a chilling account of paralysis of Italian political institutions. Documenting the almost surreal investigation of the Piazza Fontana bombings of 1969, he observes: QUOTE The irony is that Italy, so painfully legalistic, is as a result almost lawless. If you've got so many laws, they can do anything for you. You can twist them, reaarange them, rewrite them. Here, laws or facts are like playing cards: you simply have to shuffle them and fan them out to suit yourself UNQUOTE

As the title suggests, this book is a far cry from the more bucolic images found in Italian travel guides. I found it highly readable and insightful.

Rating:
Summary: A Justifiably Critical View of Berlusconi's Italy
Review: In reading "The Dark Heart of Italy"(from a phrase by the famed author Carlo Levi) I couldn't help feeling uneasy about the author's comments and I too felt the discomfort expressed by some of the other reviewers. However, as I continued I also had to admit that the author was not exagerating; indeed, he reflected my own concerns (and those of countless Italians of every political orientation) over the future of Italy, the country where I was born and where the author, Tobias Jones has his own reasons for loving. For even as Jones is critical, his love for the undeniably beautiful things in Italy - the generosity and friendliness of the people, the philosophical approach to life and the beauty, natural and man-made, of the country are evident throughout.
In 1999, Tobias Jones was an English journalist who worked to the "Independent" of London. He fell in love with a girl from Parma (ironically the city where the biggest fraud in Italian financial history has been perpetrated by Parmalat). He is now married to her and he's moved to Parma from England. The book presents episodes in the time and space from the North to Sicily and from the civil war after 8th September 1943 to the reconstruction of the post-war period to the 'anni di piombo' (lead years) of the 70's. In January 2003, the book was released in england and it was accompanied by a report by Jones for the Financial Times entitled "My Italian television hell". I decided to immediately purchase the book, as I could not agree more with the author about the state - literally - of Italioan television and the way it reflects the general state of malaise of politics and culture. In Italy it caused an outbreak of comments, both positive praising th book and the author for his keen observations and just criticisms - moslty from the Political Left and the Centre,and violent hostility by the Government of berlusconi, which in typical and regrettable fashion threatened diplomatic protests. Ultimately what emerges form the book is that Cavaliere Silvio Berlusconi's recipe for success is to dress properly and don't pay taxes. No matter how anglo-saxon the observation, it cannot be denied that berlsuconi's government as Tobias Jones suggests in the book, has lowered legal standards and institutionalized certain forms of corruption. A review by John Foot published in the 'Guardian' noted that the Italian minister of finance announced the introdiction of the so-called" condono treasurer" (the pardon treasurer) allowing for tax evaders to be rewarded for their efforts, fully exposing the Banana Republic that Italy has become today.

Tobias Jones exposes a country that is currently under the control of a omnipotent government and I suggest that all those who want to learn about - or are ignoring - what is happening in Italy today and its dnagers to read this book. Unfortunately, as Prime Minister Berlusconi controls most of the Italian press and media (as if Ted Turner were President of the USA while still maintaing control of CNN and AOL-Time, Congress), it is difficult for books such as these to be written by Italians - though there are some that have never been translated in English. The Italian situation as Jones points out should be the object of scandal and protests. Some may complain about the lengthy discussion on soccer, but those who know and have lived in Italy will understand as the sport has become a true subsitute for religion-in the bad sense. Of course, Jones mentions the Media Mogul Prime Minister's own soccer interests as owner of the Milan team.

Overall, this is an important and timely book, which is also amusing in parts and ultimately, it reflects the author's love for Italians.

Rating:
Summary: A Justifiably Critical View of Berlusconi's Italy
Review: In reading "The Dark Heart of Italy"(from a phrase by the famed author Carlo Levi) I couldn't help feeling uneasy about the author's comments and I too felt the discomfort expressed by some of the other reviewers. However, as I continued I also had to admit that the author was not exagerating; indeed, he reflected my own concerns (and those of countless Italians of every political orientation) over the future of Italy, the country where I was born and where the author, Tobias Jones has his own reasons for loving. For even as Jones is critical, his love for the undeniably beautiful things in Italy - the generosity and friendliness of the people, the philosophical approach to life and the beauty, natural and man-made, of the country are evident throughout.
In 1999, Tobias Jones was an English journalist who worked to the "Independent" of London. He fell in love with a girl from Parma (ironically the city where the biggest fraud in Italian financial history has been perpetrated by Parmalat). He is now married to her and he's moved to Parma from England. The book presents episodes in the time and space from the North to Sicily and from the civil war after 8th September 1943 to the reconstruction of the post-war period to the 'anni di piombo' (lead years) of the 70's. In January 2003, the book was released in england and it was accompanied by a report by Jones for the Financial Times entitled "My Italian television hell". I decided to immediately purchase the book, as I could not agree more with the author about the state - literally - of Italioan television and the way it reflects the general state of malaise of politics and culture. In Italy it caused an outbreak of comments, both positive praising th book and the author for his keen observations and just criticisms - moslty from the Political Left and the Centre,and violent hostility by the Government of berlusconi, which in typical and regrettable fashion threatened diplomatic protests. Ultimately what emerges form the book is that Cavaliere Silvio Berlusconi's recipe for success is to dress properly and don't pay taxes. No matter how anglo-saxon the observation, it cannot be denied that berlsuconi's government as Tobias Jones suggests in the book, has lowered legal standards and institutionalized certain forms of corruption. A review by John Foot published in the 'Guardian' noted that the Italian minister of finance announced the introdiction of the so-called" condono treasurer" (the pardon treasurer) allowing for tax evaders to be rewarded for their efforts, fully exposing the Banana Republic that Italy has become today.

Tobias Jones exposes a country that is currently under the control of a omnipotent government and I suggest that all those who want to learn about - or are ignoring - what is happening in Italy today and its dnagers to read this book. Unfortunately, as Prime Minister Berlusconi controls most of the Italian press and media (as if Ted Turner were President of the USA while still maintaing control of CNN and AOL-Time, Congress), it is difficult for books such as these to be written by Italians - though there are some that have never been translated in English. The Italian situation as Jones points out should be the object of scandal and protests. Some may complain about the lengthy discussion on soccer, but those who know and have lived in Italy will understand as the sport has become a true subsitute for religion-in the bad sense. Of course, Jones mentions the Media Mogul Prime Minister's own soccer interests as owner of the Milan team.

Overall, this is an important and timely book, which is also amusing in parts and ultimately, it reflects the author's love for Italians.

Rating:
Summary: fairly good snapshot
Review: This book is interesting to those with some acquaintence with Italy, particularly us foreigners who live here and don't understand what the heck is happening very well. I got to know a bit about the politics, and in particular the insidiousness of the Berlusconi politico-business machine, as well as a bit about the culture, such as why their television programs are perhaps the worst in the developed world. There is also a lot about the Italian penchant for wild conspiracy theories in a very interesting investigation into the many unexplained acts of terrorism of the last few decades. However, while there was nothing patently wrong in it that I found, the more I read the less I felt like I was learning - that is an odd feeling, but the author starts to repeat himself and meander into more and more personal stories that lack relevance, at least for me. (Did I really need to know that his "favorite student" at the Univeristy came on to him in the spring by pumping her hips in her chair?) In addition, as I am not a soccer enthusiast, I grew very bored with the large amount of coverage the sport got as a "reflection" of the culture.

While Jones has a pleasant writing style for a journalist, when he attempted to expand his good - though definitely throw-away - articles into a book, his talents appeared to fall short to me. At the end of each chapter, for example, he adds some silly observation that leads to the theme of the next chapter, which becomes a very tedious and contrived device.

This is a good intro, just not that good. Recommended tepidly.

Rating:
Summary: A culture painted on the ceiling...
Review: Tobias Jones circles toward the center of subjects that are not entirely polite to even bring up: cultural differences between Catholics and Protestants, the distinctions between Northern and Southern Europeans, and very specifically between the English and the Italians. The topics would be difficult ones for any writer to approach seriously because they are so riddled with stereotypes, prejudice and folklore. I thought Tobias Jones made very good job of it. He writes beautifully - you can tell immediately, in the first few lines of the book, that he is an exceptionally gifted writer and observer.

He starts with the useful and understandable idea that Italy is a visual culture, and that England is a verbal culture. Italy is beautiful, the Italians are beautiful, the art is breathtakingly beautiful, etc. England is not so beautiful. The light is bad. The art is not that great. The English culture is Verbal rather than visual.

The English read a lot. Italians do not read very much. Statistics are presented to support this assertion. Italy is a picture culture and quite susceptible (therefore) to television.

This is politically significant because Berlusconi is a television magnate - he owns or controls almost every TV channel. (Imagine Fox News on every channel in the US. And imagine Rupert Murdoch as President.)

The visual/verbal distinction seems to be a core idea of the book. It turns out to be a Catholic/Protestant divide; At one time, both England and Italy were more like modern Italy -- visual, artistic and deeply Catholic. Then came Henry XVIII, and the Anglican Church. The reformation was a verbal revolution against a religion based on striking imagery, and the revolution was made to work by massively printing and spreading the Word, i.e., the King James Bible. And insisting that the power of the Word was accessible to readers.

The difference between Italy and Britain is to be understood (in this book anyway) as the difference between a warm country where stories are told with pictures painted on the ceilings of churches - and on the screens of the TV -- and a cold country where stories are told with words. The verbal English are more informed, skeptical, argumentative. The artistic Italians are a little too beautiful and a little too credulous.

The author is caught up in the tension between his two cultures, image and word, ancient and modern. As an organizing principle, it actually seems to work pretty well; it seems to discover the roots of a lot of Italian behavior that would otherwise remain mysterious to the Anglo-Saxons.

He also suggests that the Catholic Church is the prototype, or template, for virtually every other important Italian institution: including football and especially the Law. Italy has more laws than any other country. As a canon, the law is incomprehensible to ordinary citizens, who must turn to lawyers to have the law explained. The role of the lawyer as an interlocutor, that is, as a priest, is emphasized. Similarly in football: the game is so complex as to be opaque. One turns to the referee for guidance, clarification.

Tobias Jones develops this idea, this strange parallelism between the Law and the Church, as a way to explain the essential lawlessness of Italy. It becomes apparent that the country is not only politically led but also owned by a man who appears to be outside the Law.

And once again football. The author really understands and relishes football and his chapters on the Italian obsession with this sport read beautifully at every level. Sportswriting. Sociology. Philosophy. They are just works of art.

Finally, the Jones does not insist on any of his working premises - he writes from inside the problem of trying to understand Italy, and where he is bewildered by the project, he successfully conveys this too. After a long essay into the surreal and dangerous political history of the 1970s, he has to simply walk away, write about something else, because this ferociously politicized history makes so little sense at the outset and --after intensive study-- even less.

The problem is, there is not much Italian perspective on history - you cannot stand on the platform of the present and look back at what happened, and analyze it coolly because it is comfortably over. It isn't over. The past is still boiling mad.

The Italian sensation of time is blurred and continuous - the past and the present co-exist. Events of many decades ago - murders, bombings, massacres, betrayals -- still have immediacy and political impact today. In this respect Italy is curiously like the Middle East, where one faction may berate another over events that occurred 8 centuries ago, or like the China, where people occasionally talk to their ancestors.

So there is a lot in this book. Image versus word. The church as a model for absolutely everything. Football. Television and Politics. And the past and present melded. I should add that Tobias Jones has a wonderfully light touch and a sense of humor that could only be described as Italian.