The Renaissance #17: Venezia, il Doge e l’impero del mare

Buondì.

Another short one, as I’m still watching Roomie, who, in the freshness of the morning, is running around outside our house, as I sit on a bench typing this and keeping an eye on her.

She’s chewing on a messy apricot, from which I have promised to remove the pit, stone, whatever it’s called in English, which means finishing this sentence first, then washing my hands after.

Writing while minding a two-year-old is a fresh challenge, I tell myself, and who wants to get stale?

Though perhaps just a little stale would be nice…

Anyway, here, along with the usual reminders, is the latest installment of our summer series! If you’ve visited Venice, or plan to, you shoulld read/listen to this:

Il Rinascimento, Episodio 17. Venezia, il Doge e l’impero del mare

The previous sixteen episodes of this series, along with the thirty each from the summers of 2020 and 2021, can be found on our History page.

A venerdi, when I also plan to be brief, as I’ll be ‘en route’ to the UK and one of its most distant corners.

A too-early flight, standing in line at each stage of each airport, as if queuing had become an olympic sport, unavoidable arguments and threats regarding the ‘optional’ insurance at the car rental booth (from which they make most of their money), then the joys of the M11,  the M25, the M4, the M5 and the A30, on what’s going to be a Friday of heavy traffic, as people head away for the final week of the English school holidays.

Think I’d rather stay home and mind the animal…

OMG, I forgot!

Where’s she gone? And with sticky paws?

I’ll be wiping orange marks off white walls for the rest of the morning!

P.S.

If you missed it, here’s the link to Tuesday’s FREE bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news.

P.S. ‘La metamorfosi’ Reminder

Don’t forget, this week we have a new addition to our ‘World Literature’ series of ‘easy Italian readers’, Franz Kafka’s La metamorfosi.

The level of this one is B2/C1 (upper-intermediate/advanced), and until next Sunday night it’s 25% off the usual price, just £5.99, rather than the standard ‘easy reader’ ebook price of £7.99.!

The plot?

One sunny morning, Kafka’s protagonist wakes up to find he’s ‘metamorphosized’ into a beetle, which comes as a shock.

Kafka fu un autore allegorico, perché rappresentava una vicenda per “dire altro”; ha voluto forse rappresentare la solitudine e il senso di diversità dell’ebreo nella Mitteleuropa,la propria estraneità alla sua famiglia, il senso di colpa e l’impotenza umana del singolo di fronte al mondo e alla sua burocrazia. La maggior parte delle sue opere, come ‘La metamorfosi’, ‘Il processo’ e ‘Il castello’, sono piene di temi di alienazione, brutalità fisica e psicologica, e conflittualità genitori-figli.

Scritto nel 1912, La metamorfosi è uno dei testi più noti dello scrittore, in cui si descrivono le vicende di un uomo, Gregorio Samsa, che di mestiere fa il commesso viaggiatore, e che una mattina si sveglia e scopre di essersi trasformato in un enorme scarafaggio.

• .pdf e-book (+ audio available free online)
• .mobi (Kindle-compatible) and .epub (other ebook readers) available on request at no extra charge – just add a note to the order form or email us
• 8 chapters to read and listen to
• Comprehension questions to check your understanding
• Italian/English glossary of ‘difficult’ terms for the level
• Suitable for students at intermediate level or above
• Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)

Buy La metamorfosi, just £5.99 | Free Sample Chapter (.pdf) | World Literature | Italian Literature | Catalog

La metamorfosi is B2/C1-level, so not really for beginners or near-beginners. If your Italian isn’t there yet, browse our online Catalog, to find something more suitable.

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When your order is ‘completed’ (normally immediately after your payment), a download link will be automatically emailed to you. It’s valid for 7 days and 3 download attempts so please save a copy of the .pdf ebook in a safe place. Other versions of the ebook, where available, cannot be downloaded but will be emailed to people who request them. There’s a space to do that on the order form – where it says Additional information, Order notes (optional). If you forget, or if you have problems downloading the .pdf, don’t worry! Email us at the address on the website and we’ll help. Also, why not check out our FAQ?

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