Remembering the Holocaust at the Italian Consulate (Jan. 27)

On January 27, a crowd will gather outside the Italian Consulate in New York, no matter the temperature. 

It always does for International Holocaust Remembrance Day when the Italian consul, staff from Centro Primo Levi and others take turns reading the names of thousands of Italian Jews who were deported from Italy by the Nazis and killed in concentration camps across Europe. It will be one of many events connected with the day, which will mark 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz. 

But Italy has a special – and damning – connection to the Holocaust. It collaborated with Germany on pushing Jews to the margins of society through the 1938 Racial Laws, among other measures, and then exterminating as many as possible. 

This event is arguably sui generis because while Italy played a critical role in persecuting the Jews, the country had a relatively small Jewish population and so the number of names read is a little less than 10,000 -- a number that allows for reading all of the victims' names in the space of a day. It is a one-of-a-kind commemoration for those who somberly read the names and even for the strangers walking by on their way to work or school, hearing even just for a moment an echo of all that was lost.

And I will be there to pay my respects. What's commemorated on Jan. 27 is on my mind night and day, as I await final publication of This Darkness Will Never End, my translation of Edith Bruck's 1962 short story collection (Italian title: Andremo in città).

For more information:

https://primolevicenter.org/events/giorno-della-memoria-2025/

-30-

Edith Bruck on surviving Auschwitz

This line alone says so much: 

"Chi ha Auschwitz come coinquilino devastatore dentro di sé, scrivendone e parlandone non lo partorirà mai."

It comes from Bruck's nonfiction book, Signora Auschwitz, and it can be translated as follows:

"Whoever has Auschwitz inside of her like a rampaging tenant will never get rid of it by writing and talking about it."

#Giornodellamemoria

-30-

In Italy for the banner hed: "Addio al governo Draghi"

I go to Italy to reconnect with the old Jeanne, the one who wasn't able to resist the siren call of il Bel Paese after her college graduation. The Jeanne who hadn't yet become a newspaper reporter or an NPR station producer or a contract editor for CNN.

But as much as I am retracing my ex-pat steps, during this most recent trip I was still the journalist I had become post-Italy. And I swooned when I saw this headline: "Addio al governo Draghi."

While I slept, the Italian government had fallen (the headline can be translated as: Goodbye to the Draghi administration). As often happens, the coalition of political parties that make up the administration could not hold.

It wasn't totally unexpected, except that when I went to bed the night before, it appeared a deal had been reached to keep the current administration/coalition in power. (Plus, the prime minister in question is a serious economist named Mario Draghi who's the country's only hope at navigating the post-pandemic financial woes.)

When I went to the newsstand the next morning, I immediately realized that deal had failed.

It's not like the time that Mike went to Italy and the Pope died (!) but still, a government collapse is pretty darn big news, and for a journo like me, it quickens the pulse.

I also love this photo:

Not all that often is an American president shown (i.e. photographed) downing a quickie coffee as the world unravels around him.

There are headlines that you will never forget. I happen to have another Italian headline that I will always recall -- tied to my semester abroad in Siena: 'L'Italia è desta.' Show of hands who remembers that one! But it's a story for another day. For now, I am merely mulling over the political fortunes of my adopted country.

-30-

Non è l’incapacità di narrare ... (Furio Colombo)

“Non è l’incapacità di narrare, ma l’incapacità della cosa di essere narrata.”

-- Furio Colombo, in his introduction to Daniela Padoan’s Come una rana d’inverno: Conversazioni con tre sopravissute ad Auschwitz (Milan: Bompiani, 2004). 

-30-

Film: "La Mafia Uccide Solo D'estate" - (starts 5/1)

With less than two weeks to go before I leave for my return trip to Florence, I'm still actively preparing for my reunion with Italy.

And that includes cinema.

Luckily, my trip prep happened smack in the middle of Atlanta's Italian Film Fest.

Not that the film I saw, "La Mafia Uccide Solo D'estate" ("The Mafia Only Kills During The Summer") was granche' (in other words, nothing to write home about, at least not subito). It was middling.

Except for one thing.

Through actual footage from news programs and a deft combination of history and fiction, the movie provides a chilling overview of the Mafia's reign of terror in Sicily, where the film takes place.

It zeroes in on the late 1980s and early 1990s, when some giants who bravely fought the Mafia fell victim to them, chiefly Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. But not only. Generale Dalla Chiesa, the people of Palermo and others also get their this-day-in-history moments.

There's so much we in America don't know about Italian history (while the Italians seem to know everything about us). Someone like Giovanni Falcone, whom I'm come to revere along with most people in Italy, is almost totally unknown here in the US!

It was nice to sit in the theater and see up on the screen some of the events that have shaped modern Italy, for everyone to absorb and consider (even when the topic is so brutal).

It's a truly complex country that's often depicted in American popular culture as simply the birthplace of gondolas and pasta.

And it's not too late to see the movie! The film will be playing for a week, starting tomorrow (May 1) at the Midtown Art Theater.

Menefreghismo! Yes!

There's an incredible new nonfiction book by the Economist's John Hooper called The Italians.

How do I know it's incredible? According to a book review in The New York Times, he explains concepts like "menefreghismo"!

For the uninitiated, it means not giving a crap about something; the phrase "non me ne frega niente" is something you hear every day, every day, in Italy. Typically 'niente' might be replaced with 'un cazzo' -- that kind of thing.

In fact, menefreghismo sums up the attitude of vast numbers of people, including just about anyone in public office.

Finally, the REAL Italy. Not just gondolas. Please tell me there's a chapter on the tredecisima!

Read The New York Times' book review here.

**ciao ciao ciao ciao ciao ciao**

Il Papa + Obama + Leo + U2

From the Saturday morning journal, brought to you with no rush, but all the joy:

I’m reading an article in the New York Times about the first meeting between President Obama and the miraculous Pope as Leo stands in front of his bookcase, talking to himself and examining the many volumes in his little personal library. U2 is playing on the stereo and I’ve begun to tuck into my morning cup of yoghurt.

How can one person have all of these treasures, all in one place, within a single moment of time?

Then I read that Obama has invited the Pope to visit the White House garden, and the Pope responds: “Como no?” Sure, why not? I love that phrase in Spanish; I somehow find it even lovelier than its Italian counterpart (come no?).

I imagine the words rolling off his tongue with sincerity and a generosity of spirit we all may aspire to but few of us achieve.

And sincerely, with that phrase, my day is complete, and it's all of 8:30 in the morning. It cannot get better than that!

Rita Levi Montalcini

(Foto: ANSA) E' morta Rita Levi Montalcini. Trovo questo suo pensiero bellissimo: "Il corpo faccia quello che vuole. Io non sono il corpo. Io sono la mente." Mi sembra un'ottima idea per finire l'anno!

Ce l'ha fatta! Incredibile

Italian Prime Minister Silvo Berlusconi survives another confidence vote in parliament. Him and cats -- nine lives.

What's ailing Italy? Read The Economist

This special report from The Economist (you can see the cover in this photo) is the most thorough I've seen on Italy's economic, social and institutional problems. Oh it ain't pretty! But if you're at all interested in Italy, it's definitely worth a read.

In fact, you can even order reprints! (Sadly enough, I'm thinking of doing just that).

Another English-language periodocal, The New Yorker, has also produced a solid report (below) on Berlusconi's shenanigans, and what it says about the country he rules.

Italian women say: "Se non ora, quando?"

"If not now, then when?"

Italian women (and men) will be protesting Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's treatment of women, both on the television channels he owns and in his private life, in piazzas across Italy this Sunday. Here's their statement of intent:

NYT photo: "Italy is not a whorehouse"

(Credit: Maurizio Degl'Innocenti/European Pressphoto Agency)

Here's what I'm reading this week:

Sex Scandals in Italy Fuel Discontent of Women
By ELISABETTA POVOLEDO and RACHEL DONADIO
Published: February 2, 2011
The scandals around the Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi are a reminder of Italy’s persistent gender gap.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/03/world/europe/03italy.html

NYT: A Soap Opera Starring Berlusconi

Here's what I'm reading today:

Week in Review
Surreal: A Soap Opera Starring Berlusconi
By RACHEL DONADIO
Published: January 22, 2011
In Italy, politics can seem to be on one plane of reality and real life on another.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/23/weekinreview/23donadio.html

Italy -- out of control -- yesterday

I know we don't normally think of Italy as a scary place, but the protests yesterday that occurred in Rome after the Prime Minister survived a narrow confidence vote in Parliament are just that: scary.

See for yourself in the video at the link below (after the quick ad for parmesan cheese).

http://video.corriere.it/assalto-camionetta-guardia-finanza/ba043e5e-083d-11e0-b759-00144f02aabc

Ce l'ha fatta Berlusconi?

Ma com'e' possibile?

C'e' da dire, pero': una rissa in aula? Priceless.

NYT: End of Berlusconi era?

Italy Senses Berlusconi Era Is Nearing End
By RACHEL DONADIO
Published: November 12, 2010
Analysts say a call for a confidence vote against the prime minister is expected to bring down the government within weeks.

Read article here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/13/world/europe/13italy.html

NYT Business: "Is Italy Too Italian?"

Molto interessante......Soprattutto questi due brani:

"To understand why...so much of Italy, is stagnant or worse, requires a bit of geopolitical history and a look at the highly idiosyncratic business culture here. It is defined, to a large degree, by deep-seated mistrust — not just of the government, but of anyone who isn’t part of the immediate family — as well as a widespread aversion to risk and to growth that to American eyes looks almost quaint."


"...Of course, the worship of growth has its limitations. The American economy is vastly more robust, but instead of family-owned bakeries, which seem to dot every hectare of Italy, we’ve got Quiznos. And for all the efficiency and horsepower in Germany, no character in a movie has ever welled up and sighed, “We’ll always have Stuttgart.”

Potete leggere il resto dell'articolo qui:

Business
Is Italy Too Italian?
By DAVID SEGAL
Published: July 31, 2010
Like much of the Italian economy, the Carlo Barbera factory is struggling, for reasons that academics say reveal much about what ails Italy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/01/business/global/01italy.html

"10 - 100 - 1000 -10000 R. Saviano...."

Trovato su un muro nel Mezzogiorno:

«10 - 100 - 1000 -10000 R. Saviano per i (casalesi) del clan»

*Ma cosa vuol dire? Lucy, mi puoi aiutare? Non capisco.

Ecco un brano sulle scritte da Corriere.it (su CORRIERE DEL MEZZOGIORNO.it):

Casal di Principe: 10-100-1000 Saviano per i casalesi (del clan)
L'inno sui muri

Dopo le scritte ingiuriose comparse a più riprese dopo il successo di Gomorra le prime lodi a Roberto Saviano


CASERTA - Per usare le parole del presidente di Libera Caserta, Valerio Taglione, viene da pensare «qualcosa pur si muove» guardando le scritte su Roberto Saviano comparse sui muri dello stadio comunale di Casal di Principe.

Perché, a differenza di quanto accaduto in passato — come nel 2008 e non solo a Casale, ma anche a Castel Volturno e Villa Literno — quelle non sono scritte ingiuriose: «10 - 100 - 1000 -10000 R. Saviano per i (casalesi) del clan», campeggia sul muro.

Il primo segnale di questo tipo che viene da una città, Casal di Principe, da sempre poco tenera nei confronti dello scrittore napoletano che ha portato alla ribalta nazionale e internazionale i sogni di gloria di una malavita abituata a vivere «rinchiusa», quasi al sicuro, nel suo mondo piccolo, pur pensando in grande.

400th Anniversary of publication of Galileo work

Okay, I guess this sounds geeky but I think this conference on Galileo sounds really interesting! I receive these notices because I'm on a listserv for Italian professors despite the fact that I'm not one!


University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Graduate Student Conference
October 29-31, 2010

"Forbidden Ideas: controversial modes of engagement in Italian intellectual tradition"


This year marks the 400th anniversary of the publication of Galileo Galilei’s most influential work, the Sidereus Nuncius (1610).

Although the groundbreaking ideas presented in this short treatise forever changed the perception of the universe in the intellectual and scientific world, Galileo was accused of heresy and faced torture and the Inquisition for the subversive potential of his words.

In the spirit of Galilei’s struggle, the Italian Graduate Student Association (IGSA) at UCLA is pleased to announce a graduate conference that will analyze controversial relationships between intellectuals and the Establishment throughout Italian history. Examples may range from Niccolò Machiavelli to F.T. Marinetti, from Giordano Bruno to Antonio Gramsci.

Did the idea of trial, imprisonment, exile, torture or even death hinder or advance the intellectual's interpretation of his/her contemporary reality? What is the relationship of Italian writers, artists, intellectuals, filmmakers, etc. with power structures throughout the ages?

This conference aims to explore the multifarious nature of this relationship and these questions, and to present current graduate research on controversial modes of engagement in Italian intellectual tradition. Papers from a variety of disciplines are welcome, including Italian literature, Film and Media Studies, Comparative Literature, History of Art and Music, and Science.


Possible topics may address:

Italian intellectuals facing trial and/or torture (Inquisition, Fascism, etc.)
Italian intellectuals in jail
Italian intellectuals sentenced to death
Issues of exile and emigration/immigration
Issues of censorship (forbidden books, burned books, censored books/films, etc.)
Controversial relationships between the individual and society/politics

Anti-Mafia Wine in Sicily

My friend Nancy Greenleese produced a story for the American public radio show, The World, on winemakers in Italy who are defying the Mafia. They are part of a movement in Sicily to seize properties bought with proceeds from organized crime.

Here's the link. Enjoy!

http://www.theworld.org/2010/04/08/anti-mafia-wine-in-sicily/