(Spiegata Agli Eschimesi)
An ancient land where many cultures clashed and mingled and still do. Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Italians, Spanish, Africans, refugees, the mafia, great artists and those who believe themselves to be great. Cappellani, Sicilian, with his brilliant acerbic wit explains the mysteries of this often seemingly insane and always beautiful island.
‘A journey through the cultural and sentimental secrets and treasures of the island, written with great feel for irony and the grotesque.’ Corriere della Sera
‘Cappellani, a great visionary and indomitable spirit, in this book destroys with short strokes an impressive series of clichés. His is a counter-guide, where he distinguishes between ancestral heritage and everyday customs, between marketing and myth.’ La Stampa
‘Cappellani enters the scene with all the biting spirit that characterizes him… He’s like Aristphanes and Plautus.’ La Sicilia
‘It’s almost impossible to talk about ancient Sicily without resorting to stereotypes, it escapes us like a Fata Morgana mirage. Perhaps we can help overturn and break up these clichés with irony? This is the route taken in the short and entertaining Sicily Explained to the Eskimos by Ottavio Cappellani. The Catania writer’s pen guides us on a surreal journey full of surprises, with some unforgettable images including: the real reason why Goethe appears in a night shirt on his arrival in ‘Magna Graecia’; the unexpected connection between the figures of the saints and manga; the strange case of the Palermo schnitzel. And a definitive truth: ‘The Sicilian is not synthetic, just neurotic.’ La Repubblica
Sales
- SEM Editrice Italy
Material: finished copies, PDF (128pp)