Italian American Literature

Mulberry Street, New York City, circa 1900
Mulberry Street, New York City, circa 1900


An examination of  the literary contributions that Italian Americans have made during the past century that will include a selection of readings from the following authors and works: Helen Barolini's The Dream Book; Mario Puzo's, The Fortunate Pilgrim; Pietro di Donato's Christ in Concrete; Vermonter Mari Tomasi's Like Lesser Gods; Jerre Mangione's Mount Allegro , Tina De Rosa's Paper Fish, and others.  We'll place the literature within the context of  immigrant struggle and assimilation with the help of class discussions, videos, and guest speakers.  Past speakers have been John Fusco, Ben Morreale, Alex Shoumatoff, Jay Parini, Edwin Granai, Maria Mazziotti Gillan, Helen Barolini, and A. Kenneth Ciongoli.

Spring 2003 Course Syllabus

 Barre, Vermont, Granite Carvers: A Slide Show/Lecture

Review of John Fusco's Paradise Salvage by Alfred Rosa

The Myth and Ritual of Coffee in Mario Puzo's The Fortunate Pilgrim by Jason Wurtsbaugh

The Causes of Self Hatred and How to Combat It by Catherine Nigro

Italian Terms in Puzo's The Fortunate Pilgrim

Christ in Concrete and the Failure of Catholicism by Sarah Benelli

The Significance of Nicknames in Italian-American Culture and the novel Christ in Concrete by Sharon Leggio

The Legacy of the Mafia Minstrel Show by Steve Antonuccio

When Being Italian Was a Crime by Sarah Goodyear

 Afterword to Like Lesser Gods by Alfred Rosa

Mark Fontecchio's Website

Alghero: Sardinia's Other Coast by Alfred Rosa

Italian-American Internment: A Secret War

A History Channel documentary about the internment of Italian Americans
during WW II that everyone interested in the history of Italian Americans should see.
Tape may also be ordered by calling 1-800-423-1212.
 

Men Against Granite by Mari Tomasi and Roaldus Richmond
(to be published in the spring of 2003)



Italian American Links

UNICO National - An Italian American Service Organization

Order of the Sons of Italy: Albany NY Region

In Search of Italian/American Writers by Fred Gardaphe

Italian American Studies at Stony Brook

Select Bibliography of Italian/American Writers

Italian American Genealogy

National Italian American Foundation (NIAF)

Dialects of Italian

Italian Genealogy Resources

The Present/Future of Little Italies by Professor Jerome Krase

Disseminating the Story of the Italy-to-The USA-Avventura by James C. Mancuso

Sardinia on the Web



Last updated by Liz Rosa on December 26, 2002