The Shortest History of Italy: 3,000 Years from the Romans to the Renaissance to a Modern Republic - A Retelling for Our Times
The calendar. The Senate. The university. The piano, the heliocentric model, and the pizzeria. It's hard to imagine a world without Italian influence--and easy to assume that inventions like these could only come from a strong, stable peninsula, sure of its place in the world. In this breakneck history, bestselling author Ross King dismantles this assumption, uncovering the story of a land rife with inner uncertainty even as its influence spread.
As the Italian tale unfolds, prosperity and power fluctuate like the elevation in the Dolomites. If Rome's seven hills could talk, they might speak of the glorious time of Trajan--or bemoan the era of conquest and the Bubonic Plague that decimated Rome's population. Episodes of wealth like the First Triumvirate and the time of the Medicis are given fresh life alongside descriptions of the Middle Ages, the early days of Venice, the invasion of Napoleon, and the long struggle for unification.
Highlighting key events and personalities, King paints a vibrant portrait of a country whose political and cultural legacies enrich our lives today.
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Born and raised in Canada, Ross King has lived in England since 1992. In 2002--03, two books of his were published in the United States, Domino, about the world of masquerades and opera in 18th century London and the New York Times bestselling Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling.
Nominated for a National Book Critics Circle Award in 2003 in the category of critisicm, in Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling King tells the story of the four years--1508-1512.--Michelangelo spent painting the ceiling of the newly restored Sistine chapel. In this extraordinary book, he presents a magnificent tapestry of day-to-day life of the ingenious Sistine scaffolding and outside in the upheaval of early 16th century Rome. King's highly acclaimed Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture, was an instant hit in the U.S., landing on the New York Times, Boston Globe and San Francisco Chronicle bestseller lists and becoming a handselling favorite among booksellers. Brunelleschi's Dome was chosen "The 2000 Book Sense Nonfiction Book of the Year" and a Book Sense 76 top ten selection. Anyone familiar with Ross King's writing knows that he has an astonishing knowledge of European cultural history. He originally planned a career in academia, earning his Ph.D. in English Literature and moving to England to assume a research position at the University of London. King lives near Oxford, England, in the historic town of Woodstock, the site of Blenheim Palace. He is a devoted cyclist and hikes regularly in both the Pyrenees and the Canadian Rockies.King has the gift of clear, unpretentious exposition, and an instinctive narrative flair.-- "The Guardian"
King is a deft storyteller.-- "Telegraph"
Jump into the Alfa Romeo and hold tight as Ross King speeds through Italian history with this effervescent and entertaining guide to the peninsula's past.--Catherine Fletcher, author of The Beauty and the Terror and The Black Prince of Florence
Terrific . . . a lucid, riveting history of a country that is both exquisitely old and painfully young at the same time.--Sarah Dunant, bestselling author of In the Name of the Family
Few have as much insight into the history of Italy as the author of Brunelleschi's Dome, and here Ross King offers a masterful and perceptive account of Italian virtues--and sins--from the Romans to Berlusconi, as well as the country's inimitable art and architecture. An ideal handbook for anyone who loves Italy and wants to dig a little deeper into the past of what Dante called il bel paese, or as Ross King puts it, Italy's history of 'resilience and rebirth.'--Richard Owen, author of DH Lawrence in Italy, Hemingway in Italy, and Chaucer's Italy
Praise for Ross King
"King has made a career elucidating crucial episodes in the history of art and architecture.-- "Time"
A rollicking introduction to the history of a country that, until barely 150 years ago, was not one. Vibrant, admirably clear, and often wryly amusing, Ross King's narrative benefits again and again from his eye for the telling detail--a splendid achievement.--John Hooper, author of The Italians and Italy correspondent for The Economist
A remarkably readable whirlwind tour of Italian history over the millennia, replete with conquerors, emperors, slaves, popes, assorted invaders, and filled with juicy historical nuggets. There's nothing quite like it.--David Kertzer, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Pope and Mussolini and The Pope at War
Known for his impeccable research and engaging style, King is the perfect Virgil to guide us from The Aeneid to COVID-19 in this densely packed volume of tantalizing details. . . . King has a keen eye for the provocative anecdote, ranging from the debauchery of the emperors to papal history and the origins of the Mafia. . . . Each page brims with Bill Bryson-like trivia that is sure to delight.--Booklist, starred review
History exerts a force [in Italy] that is multifaceted and ambiguous, especially to the outsider--but The Shortest History of Italy helps to render the country coherent.-- "The Saturday Paper (Australia)"
