"The Mirage of America in Contemporary Italian Literature and Film is an original, well-argued book on a provocative theme. It examines recent Italian writers and directors who have thus far received too little attention in the English-speaking world, as they confront and interpret the ever-shifting representations of America within the Italian imaginary. Written in vigorous and lucid prose, Barbara Alfano's timely book remedies the deficiency and encourages up to rethink cultural and ideological stereotypes from a variety of new perspectives." -- John Paul Russo, Departments of English and Classics, University of Miami, and co-author of The Italian in Modernity "The Mirage of America in Contemporary Italian Literature and Film is a superb, seminal work that deeply explains a mythology that has affected people in Italy from the post-war period onwards. Unique in its scope and focus, it is a gripping and intelligent read that reaches across a remarkable range of media and disciplines. A brilliant book and a landmark study, it will appeal to a wide audience interested in Italian cinema and literature." -- Cristina Perissinotto, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, University of Ottawa

The Mirage of America in Contemporary Italian Literature and Film explores the use of images associated with the United States in Italian novels and films released between the 1980s and the 2000s. In this study, Barbara Alfano looks at the ways in which the individuals portrayed in these works – and the intellectuals who created them – confront the cultural construct of the American myth. As Alfano demonstrates, this myth is an integral part of Italians’ discourse to define themselves culturally – in essence, Italian intellectuals talk about America often for the purpose of talking about Italy.

The book draws attention to the importance of Italian literature and film as explorations of an individual’s ethics, and to how these productions allow for functioning across cultures. It thus differentiates itself from other studies on the subject that aim at establishing the relevance and influence of American culture on Italian twentieth-century artistic representations.

"

‘The Mirage of America is not only a valuable reading for academics but also an enriching experience for non-academics.’