Review by Stefano Baldassarri
This is the kind of textbook that I wished my Italian literature professor had chosen for her class when I was in high school some forty years ago. Unfortunately, a manual like this did not exist back then. If so, I think I would have read it almost with as much interest and pleasure as I did in the last few weeks to write this review. The author is Johnny Bertolio, who holds a Master’s Degree in classical studies from the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa and a Ph.D. in Italian literature from the University of Toronto. After finishing his studies in Canada, about five years ago, Bertolio started working for Loescher Editore, thus putting his knowledge in classical studies and comparative literature at the service of one among the oldest and most prestigious publishing houses in Italy…