An Italian Education

'There is more here about the pleasurable business of coming from Italy than in any other book in the English language' - IndependentHow does an Italian become Italian?Or an Englishman English, for that matter?Are foreigners born, or made?In An Italian Education Tim Parks focuses on his own young children in the small village near Verona where he lives, building a fascinating picture of the contemporary Italian family at school, at home, at work and at play.The result is a delight- at once a family book and a travel book, not quite enamoured with either children or Italy, but always affectionate, always amused and always amusing.

“"There is more here about the pleasurable business of coming from Italy than in any other book in the English language." Independent "Vignettes…reminiscent of Calvino or Moravia." Sunday Times”

Spot-on - a very accurate, very entertaining and at the same time rather profound book Daily Telegraph
Parks is more than just an effortless raconteur playing for laughs...he offers detailed cultural observation, witty yet eagle-eyed, of what makes Italians so Italian The Times
Tim Parks is Italian enough to understand the country, foreign enough to see its peculiarities and talented enough to make them funny without resorting to cliché Daily Express

Born in Manchester, Tim Parks grew up in London and studied at Cambridge and Harvard. In 1981 he moved to Italy where he has lived ever since. He is the author of novels, non-fiction and essays, including Europa, Cleaver, A Season with Verona and Teach Us to Sit Still. He has won the Somerset Maugham, Betty Trask and Llewellyn Rhys awards, and been shortlisted for the Booker Prize. He lectures on literary translation in Milan, writes for publications such as the New Yorker and the New York Review of Books, and his many translations from the Italian include works by Moravia, Calvino, Calasso, Tabucchi and Machiavelli.

'Parks is more than just an effortless raconteur playing for laughs...he offers detailed cultural observation, witty yet eagle-eyed, of what makes Italians so Italian' The Times How does an Italian become Italian? Or an Englishman English, for that matter? Are foreigners born, or made? In An Italian Education Tim Parks focuses on his own young children in the small village near Verona where he lives, building a fascinating picture of the contemporary Italian family at school, at home, at work and at play. The result is a delight: at once a family book and a travel book, not quite enamoured with either children or Italy, but always affectionate, always amused and always amusing. 'Tim Parks is Italian enough to understand the country, foreign enough to see its peculiarities and talented enough to make them funny without resorting to clich' Daily Express 'There is more here about the pleasurable business of coming from Italy than in any other book in the English language' Independent

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.