Simona Frasca: 2 books

Stages an encounter, at once critical and celebratory, with historical and contemporary Naples, a city that presents itself as an irresolvable paradox for its ability to remain intellectually and culturally animated (“delirious”), even in the face of its recurring economic and political crises.

This book reviews the period from the unification of Italy to the fascist era through significant Neapolitan performers such as Gilda Mignonette and Enrico Caruso. It traces the transformation of a popular tradition written in dialect into a popular tradition, written in Italian, that contributed to the production of "American" identity.