Fleeting Rome: In Search of la Dolce Vita

In this complex love affair with Rome, Carlo Levi explores the streets of the city that was for many years his home: a city at once fleeting and eternal, noble and plebeian, a city of dreams and illusions. Through the daily bustle of Rome s street traders, housewives and students, the children at the little theatre of Pulcinella al Pincio, the men in the street cafés and the exuberant festivities of Ferragosto, San Giovanni and Befana, Levi brings magnificently to life Rome in the post war and Dolce Vita eras. Fleeting Rome vividly evokes the sounds of the city, its odours, its beauty and the aspirations of its people.

Preface.

Introduction: Eternal and Fleeting.

Translator′s Note.

I. The People of Rome.

II. The Solitude of Rome.

III. The Two–Cent Coin.

IV. Sunday Stroll. 

V. The Helicopter.

VI. Apparitions in Rome.

VII. The Duty of the Comet.

VIII. Elegy to the Mid–August Holidays.

IX. Hyperbolic Tourism.

X. Killing Time.

XI. Points of View.

XII. The Power of the Poor.

XIII. Brigands and Peasants.

XIV. Plants and Seeds.

XV. The Steps of Rome.

XVI. The Empty Cities.

XVII. Girls and Trees.

XVIII. Roosters and Nightingale, Singing Together.

XIX. Summer Journey.

XX. The New Moon.

XXI. Saint Lawrence and Saint Paul.

XXII. A Child in Flight.

XXIII. After the Party.

XXIV. Substance and Chance.

XXV. Clothes Moths.

XXVI. Japanese Toys.

XXVII. Soccer and Men of Letters.

XXVIII. The Drainage Ditch and the Measles.

XXIX. A Boy Stealing a Car Radio in the Piazza Navona.

XXX. The Labyrinth.

XXXI. City of Brothers.

XXXII. Summer Dissolves in Mists.

XXXIII. Fleeting Rome.

Notes to the Text.

Basic Chronology of Carlo Levi′s Life.

Index.

Carlo Levi (1902–1975), writer, painter and politician, was one of the great Italian talents of the twentieth century. He was interned in the South of Italy as an anti–fascist during the Second World War, where he wrote his masterpiece, Cristo si è fermato a Eboli (Christ stopped at Eboli). The work was subsequently turned into a film and became recognized as one of the great works of twentieth century literature. Subsequent works have included a wide range of fiction and non–fiction, including L Orologio,(1950) Le parole sono pietre (1955), Le mille patrie, Lo specchio and Scritti di critica d arte. From 1963 to 1972 he was a Senator of the Republic.

"...this lovely book captures the spirit of Rome in a glancing fashion." (Sunday Times (Culture) 15 August 2004.

"...characteristic elegance and insight,...a tribute to the history, (and...spirit of one of Europe′s most remarkable cities." (London Review of Books, 23rd September 2004)

"...a joyous trip that reveals new and hidden delights throughout this ancient, at once eternal yet fleeting city..." (Global, October 04)

"... this collection of beautifully–fashioned essays spans the post–war and dolce vita years in the ′eternal city′..." (Choice magazine, February 2005)

"...a vibrant portrayal of everyday life in Rome..." (Greenock Telegraph, 6th August 05)