In the charming setting of Queens College’s Calandra Italian American Institute in New York, the Dean Anthony Julian Tamburri officially presented, in the occasion of the Italian Heritage celebrations, Brooklyn’s cutting-edge publishers, Idea Publications. Founded on the premise of serving a share of the public so far ignored or neglected both by the editorial elite and the large publishers who aim their books at the Italian-American community, Idea Publications wanted to set the scene, according to the Editorial Director Silvana Mangione, of “informazione di ritorno”, that is of bringing back to Italy the information about the Italians in America. To the publication of Italian-American authors in translation, available in Italy but also distributed to the American public, and of Italian authors in translation, Idea Publications has recently added Italian-American authors published in English in order to introduce these deserving writers to a large audience.
Dr. Mangione has announced the intention of this state-of-the-art publisher to gain and retain a position of privilege, both in sales and quality, in the arena of Italian editors in America and took the opportunity to present four of the authors recently published by Idea Publications.
With an interesting introduction, in which she offered vivid images of the writers and their books, the editorial director Mangione presented CUNY’s Professor Emeritus Fred Gardaphè, author of “Importato dall’Italia”, the Editorial Director of the quarterly magazine L’Idea , Tiziano Thomas Dossena, co-author, with the Editor-in-Chief of the same magazine Leonardo Campanile, of the volume “Doña Flor, An opera by Niccolò van Westerhout”, and the well-known writer Elizabeth Vallone, who attended the evening with her latest creation, “Barbarossa’s Princess”.
The authors had the opportunity to expose their views on various topics and to explain the motivations behind their writings and in particular about their recent works. Dr. Tamburri, who added his comments to the authors’ presentations, also asked them interesting and challenging questions, opening up a lively debate on current issues related to the Italian American community.
The event was filmed by the Institute’s technicians and the taping will soon be available to the public on Calandra Institute’s television and Internet channels
BOOKS BY IDEA PUBLICATIONS:
DOÑA FLOR, An Opera By Niccolo` van Westerhout Paperback– April 18, 2010
by Leonardo Campanile (Author), Tiziano Thomas Dossena (Author)
DOÑA FLOR, The Opera by van Westerhout, is a paperback in Italian, with facing English translation. The book narrates the life of Niccolò van Westerhout (1857-1898) and it explores the questions and concerns related to the first performance of his opera-masterpiece. Enriched with a foreword by the Maestro Vito Clemente, this book also contains the original text of the libretto, the biography of the librettist Arturo Colautti (1851-1914) and the genealogical tree of the van Westerhout family, from their first migration to Apulia to the composer’s birth. The fascinating story of the birth of this 1895 opera, is complemented by an essay on the musical characteristics of this lyrical drama, a commentary on the libretto, an essay on the composer’s home town, Mola di Bari, and the theater named after him, and 24 black and white illustrations. The authors’ notes, moreover, allow the reader to learn of the events that brought to the discovery of van Westerhout’s tomb and the final return of his remains to his loved hometown. Dona Flor, l’opera di van Westerhout, è un libro in italiano, con traduzione in inglese a fronte. L’opera narra la vita di Niccolò van Westerhout (1857-1898) ed esplora gli interrogativi e le preoccupazioni relative alla prima rappresentazione della sua opera-capolavoro. Arricchito con una prefazione dal Maestro Vito Clemente, questo libro contiene anche il testo originale del libretto, la biografia del librettista Arturo Colautti (1851-1914) e l’albero genealogico della famiglia Van Westerhout, dalla loro prima migrazione in Puglia sino alla nascita del compositore. L’affascinante storia della nascita di questa opera del 1895, è completato da un saggio sulle caratteristiche musicali di questo dramma lirico, un commento sul libretto, un saggio sulla città del compositore, Mola di Bari, e il teatro a lui dedicato, e 24 illustrazioni in bianco e nero. Le note degli autori, inoltre, permettono al lettore di apprendere degli eventi che hanno portato alla scoperta della tomba di van Westerhout e il ritorno definitivo dei suoi resti nella sua amata città natale.
Barbarossa’s Princess Paperback– October 1, 2011 Elizabeth Vallone (Author), Silvana Mangione (Editor)
BARBAROSSA’S PRINCESS A tale of intrigue, violence, sex, love and ultimate triumph, Elizabeth Vallone’s Barbarossa’s Princess is also a tapestry of the customs of the Holy Roman Empire, the Norman-Sicilian Court and mores of life in the 12th century. Barbarossa’s Princess is a veritable page turner. From the very first line, we are swept away on an adventure through the corridors of power in the 12th century. We taste and smell the meals, we see the unusual medical practices, we hear all the raucous sounds of life in an age more refined and more coarse than even our own. At the center of this delightful tale is Constance de Hauteville, a woman drawn from a nunnery to become Empress of a continent. She becomes the bearer of the next Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. An innocent, along with her maid-servant, Constance enters the corridors of power and grows to become as forceful as those who would use her for their own gain. Vallone portrays Constance de Hauteville as a woman of chutzpah and humility, a mother who endures the humiliations of women in an earlier time, but who triumphs and endures.
Paperback: 292 pages Language: English ISBN-10: 0982537344 ISBN-13: 978-0982537343
Puer Centum Annorum – Don Bruno Aloia (Italian Language Edition) Paperback– November 1, 2009
by Giovanna Ungaro (Author), Leonardo Campanile (Editor), Tiziano Thomas Dossena (Editor)
Biography of an Italian town’s priest who has left an indelible mark on his parishioners as well as on the entire regional population. His social works are validated in the book by an extensive amount of testimonials offered by bishops, mayors, councilmen, friends and also political opponents. The book’s preparation was promoted by the Università della Terza Età di Mola di Bari (ITALY)
Biografia del parroco della chiesa di San Domenico di Mola di Bari, promossa dall’Università della Terza Età di Mola di Bari. Uomo onesto e attivo, Don Bruno Aloia ha lasciato un marchio indelebile sia sui propri parrocchiani sia sull’intera comunità regionale. Le sue molte attività sociali sono convalidate nel libro dalle molte testimonianze di vescovi, sindaci, consiglieri comunali, amici e perfino di avversari politici.
IMPORTATO DALL’ITALIA (Italian Language Edition) Paperback– June 19, 2009
by Fred Gardaphé (Author), Silvana Mangione (Translator)
“Importato dall’Italia” portrays the coming of age of an Italian American from the 1950s to the ’70s, when Italian immigrants had to work hard to make way into mainstream America. Fred Gardaphé brings back the voices of the old neighborhoods, capturing a Little Italy that transcends place and time to become a home for all of us.
