Tom in London wrote:
I hated that book. It was all wrong about England and the English. Italians only see what they want to see. In the same way in which all those books by expat English people, about Italy, are always wrong about the Italians. How charming and delightful they are, etc. But of course not to be taken seriously.
Whatever you think about the point of view, the book is still well-written and well-observed. Indeed, the fact that it was observed at all - as opposed to merely retailing commonplaces - was a breath of fresh air in comparison with most Italian writing about the UK, or English writing about Italy, as you say.
Interesting to note that Severgnini needs an English translator. Why am I not surprised?
What's so odd about that?
Beppe can deliver an effective lecture in English at the drop of an invitation but writing an article directly in a foreign language demands a radical switch of cultural as well as linguistic codes. It's not easy to do this to a tight deadline if you are already turning out hundreds of publication-ready words a day in your native language.
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