In Search of an Identity: Robert Canzoneri and Other Contemporary Italian American Writers Who Travelled to Italy to Understand Themselves
Location
Leu Gallery, Bunch Library
Presentation Type
Presentation
Start Date
15-11-2007 11:00 AM
Description
Italian American literature offers a deep insight into the becoming of Italian American identity. Particularly in the last 15 years or so there has been a publishing abundance in terms of novels. The reason is, as many authors say, it took years before they decided to break the wall of silence. Gay TaIese declared that he had started to write Unto the Son, the novel about his fathers' life, in 1955, and interrupted his writing because he was afraid the book could interfere with his father's full integration into WASP society. The writings of second and third generation Italian Americans reflect a search for understanding rooted in the recognition that one's place in the world is related to familial origins. For many of the Italian American writers the search for cultural origins, continuities, and differences often climax with a journey to the Old Country. In order to reconcile the conflict between past and present, they must travel. For the second and later generations Italian Americans, the visit home is frequently seen as a rite of passage which leads to a transformation in their identity. Essentially, the journey traces the development of a clearer Italian American identity. The work of Robert Canzoneri, a second generation Italian American from Mississippi, is precipitated by his visit to Sicily. Canzoneri plunges into the world of his ancestors in an effort to understand himself. Particularly, the book A Highly Ramified Tree (1971) investigates his dual heritage and focuses upon the changes in himself and around him after his visit to Italy with his father.
Recommended Citation
Muccini, Francesca, "In Search of an Identity: Robert Canzoneri and Other Contemporary Italian American Writers Who Travelled to Italy to Understand Themselves" (2007). Humanities Symposium. 9.
https://repository.belmont.edu/humanities_symposium/2007/2007/9
In Search of an Identity: Robert Canzoneri and Other Contemporary Italian American Writers Who Travelled to Italy to Understand Themselves
Leu Gallery, Bunch Library
Italian American literature offers a deep insight into the becoming of Italian American identity. Particularly in the last 15 years or so there has been a publishing abundance in terms of novels. The reason is, as many authors say, it took years before they decided to break the wall of silence. Gay TaIese declared that he had started to write Unto the Son, the novel about his fathers' life, in 1955, and interrupted his writing because he was afraid the book could interfere with his father's full integration into WASP society. The writings of second and third generation Italian Americans reflect a search for understanding rooted in the recognition that one's place in the world is related to familial origins. For many of the Italian American writers the search for cultural origins, continuities, and differences often climax with a journey to the Old Country. In order to reconcile the conflict between past and present, they must travel. For the second and later generations Italian Americans, the visit home is frequently seen as a rite of passage which leads to a transformation in their identity. Essentially, the journey traces the development of a clearer Italian American identity. The work of Robert Canzoneri, a second generation Italian American from Mississippi, is precipitated by his visit to Sicily. Canzoneri plunges into the world of his ancestors in an effort to understand himself. Particularly, the book A Highly Ramified Tree (1971) investigates his dual heritage and focuses upon the changes in himself and around him after his visit to Italy with his father.
Comments
Convo (AL)