La Bella Lingua - by Dianne Hales (Paperback)
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<p/><br></br><p><b> About the Book </b></p></br></br>"Quotations from the Web edition of Dante's Divine Comedy from www.italianstudies.org/comedy/index.htm."--T.p. verso.<p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br><b>A celebration of the language and culture of Italy, <i>La Bella Lingua</i> is the story of how a language shaped a nation, told against the backdrop of one woman's personal quest to speak fluent Italian.</b> <p/> For anyone who has been to Italy, the fantasy of living the Italian life is powerfully seductive. But to truly become Italian, one must learn the language. This is how Dianne Hales began her journey. In <i>La Bella Lingua</i>, she brings the story of her decades-long experience with the "the world's most loved and lovable language" together with explorations of Italy' s history, literature, art, music, movies, lifestyle and food in a true <i>opera amorosa </i>-- a labor of her love of Italy. <p/>Over the course of twenty-five years, she has studied Italian through Berlitz, books, CDs, podcasts, private tutorials and conversation groups, and, most importantly, time spent in Italy. In the process the Italian language became not just a passion and a pleasure, but a passport into Italy's <i>storia</i> and its very soul. She invites readers to join her as she traces the evolution of Italian in the zesty graffiti on the walls of Pompeii, in Dante's incandescent cantos and in Boccaccio's bawdy <i>Decameron</i>. She portrays how social graces remain woven into the fabric of Italian: even the chipper "ciao," which does double duty as "hi" and "bye," reflects centuries of <i>bella figura.</i> And she exalts the glories of Italy's food and its rich and often uproarious gastronomic language: Italians deftly describe someone uptight as a <i>baccala </i>(dried cod), a busybody who noses into everything as a <i>prezzemolo</i> (parsley), a worthless or banal movie as a <i>polpettone</i> (large meatball). <p/> Like Dianne, readers of <i>La Bella Lingua </i>will find themselves <i>innamorata</i>, enchanted, by Italian, fascinated by its saga, tantalized by its adventures, addicted to its sound, and ever eager to spend more time in its company.<p/><br></br><p><b> Review Quotes </b></p></br></br><br>"A praiseworthy feature of <i>La Bella Lingua </i>is the way Hales peppers her narrative with hundreds of Italian words, idioms, and figures of speech--all chosen with gusto and brio and clearly translated into English--to introduce readers to the sonic and semantic seraglio that is the Italian language. A separate chapter on 'Irreverent Italian' highlights <i>la parolaccia</i>, the earthy lexicon of invective and jocular sensuality that contemporary Italians imbibe with their mother's milk but foreign students of Italian rarely get to savor." --Peter D'Epiro and Mary Desmond Pinkowish, authors of <i>Sprezzatura: 50 Ways Italian Genius Shaped the World</i><br><i><br></i>"Dianne Hales is just about pitch perfect as she weaves the engaging story of her <i>innamoramento </i>with Italian, hitting the high notes of Italian culture...<br>a lovely, touching tribute to the many fine civilizing gifts that Italy has shared with the world. Any smart traveler to Italy would want to read <i>La Bella Lingua</i>. <br>It's not only readable and engaging but informative about things not easily found in guidebooks and common tourist materials." --Julia Conaway Bondanella & Peter Bondanella, authors and editors of <i>The Italian Renaissance Reader, Italian Cinema</i>, and the <i>Cassell Dictionary of Italian Literature</i> <p/>"An impassioned student, Dianne Hales takes us along on her delightful pilgrimage to the speaking heart of Italy. The rhythmic beat she comes to feel and love teaches her how to live, in beautiful and idiomatic Italian, 'a language as rich in flavors and varieties as Italian cooking.' The reading pilgrim's reward is this delicious feast of a book, a strong mix of cultural and spoken treasure." --Susan Cahill, author of <i>Desiring Italy </i>and<i> The Smiles of Rome</i><br><p/><br></br><p><b> About the Author </b></p></br></br><b>Dianne Hales</b> is the author of<i> La Passione</i>;<i> La Bella Lingua</i>, a <i>New York Times</i> bestseller; <i>Mona Lisa: A Life Discovered</i>, translated into six languages; and more than forty trade and text books, including <i>Just Like a Woman, </i> <i>Caring for the Mind</i> and thirty editions of a leading college health textbook, <i>An Invitation to Health</i>. The President of Italy has awarded Dianne the highest recognition the government can bestow on a foreigner: honorary knighthood, with the title of <i>Cavaliere dell'Ordine della Stella della Solidarietà Italiana</i> (Knight of the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity), for her contributions to promoting the Italian language.
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