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John Julius Norwich’s A History of Venice has been dubbed “indispensable” by none other than Jan Morris. Now, in his second book on the city once known as La Serenissima, Norwich advances the story in this elegant chronicle of a hundred years of Venice’s highs and lows, from its ignominious capture by Napoleon in 1797 to the dawn of the 20th century.
An obligatory stop on the Grand Tour for any cultured Englishman (and, later, Americans), Venice limped into the 19th century–first under the yoke of France, then as an outpost of the Austrian Hapsburgs, stripped of riches yet indelibly the most ravishing city in Italy. Even when subsumed into a unified Italy in 1866, it remained a magnet for aesthetes of all stripes–subject or setting of books by Ruskin and James, a muse to poets and musicians, in its way the most gracious courtesan of all European cities. By refracting images of Venice through the visits of such extravagant (and sometimes debauched) artists as Lord Byron, Richard Wagner, and the inimitable Baron Corvo, Norwich conjures visions of paradise on a lagoon, as enduring as brick and as elusive as the tides.
- Sales Rank: #934139 in Books
- Brand: Brand: Vintage
- Published on: 2004-11-09
- Released on: 2004-11-09
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 7.97" h x .76" w x 5.12" l, .82 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 400 pages
- Used Book in Good Condition
From Publishers Weekly
By the end of the 19th century, Venice-conquered by Napoleon, handed over to the Austrians, plundered by the departing French troops, ruled by the Hapsburgs, and plundered again by the Austrians when they left in the 1860s-had lost much of its former glory. Nevertheless, Venice continued to fascinate travelers, and in this gracefully written book, Norwich (A History of Venice) attempts to portray the city through the eyes of some of its famous visitors of the period. Except for passages drawn from the writings of these travelers, this approach is not entirely successful, particularly in the chapter on Lord Byron, which is mainly concerned with the poet's love affairs. Similarly, the section on Robert Browning has more to do with his enthusiasm for his son's restoration of one of the palaces on the Grand Canal than with Browning's impressions of the city. On the other hand, in the chapter on John Ruskin, who recorded the decaying city in drawings, watercolors and writings, readers get some telling descriptions, and a sense of Venetian atmosphere and everyday life comes across in Norwich's accounts of the paintings of James McNeill Whistler and John Singer Sargent. Perhaps the most compelling chapter is the one on the eccentric, penniless and misanthropic British novelist Frederick Rolfe (Baron Corvo), who, because he alienated everyone who tried to help him, was homeless during much of the time he lived in Venice. For the most part, the book, though intriguing, reveals more about the lives and personalities of the visitors than about Venice itself. Illus. not seen by PW.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
The prolific Norwich is the author of the distinguished two-volume History of Venice (1982). In the introduction to his new book, he rightly poses the question, Why write another book on the subject? The answer: to bring the tale of Venice forward from where he left it--upon the fall of the 1,000-year-old Venetian Republic at the hands of Napoleon. So, that leads Norwich to pose another question for himself: "Venice in the nineteenth century was a poor, sad shadow of what she had been in the eighteenth; how, then, could the story of that century best be told?" His perfect solution is to see Venice through the eyes of famous visitors who spent time there in the nineteenth century, beginning with the history-altering Napoleon himself ("The city's enduring beauty seems to have been lost on him"). Other of these nineteenth-century visitor/observer/temporary residents include art critic John Ruskin (for whom Venice was "the paradise of cities"), writer Henry James ("The city . . . might be said to have completed his cultural education"), and painter John Singer Sargent (who "became essentially a Venetian"). Rendered in a stylish, resonant, indelible prose quite befitting the subject, this book becomes, despite what we learn about Napoleon's marked aversion, an ode to a very splendid and unique city; for, as Norwich posits, "there are surely worse fates than to die, if die we must, in a glorious Venetian palazzo, looking out onto the Grand Canal." Brad Hooper
Copyright � American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
“Engaging. . . . Lively. . . . Norwich is an enchanting and satisfying raconteur.” –The Washington Post
“A richly textured, colorfully told saga. . . . Beautifully illustrated, Paradise of Cities contains much that will instruct, divert and delight.” –Los Angeles Times
“Personable. . . . Hovers delightfully between history and gossip. . . . Even non-Venetians will feel a tug of nostalgia for the world he describes.” –Newsday
“Lively. . . . Norwich . . . is certainly the English language’s most passionate and dedicated chronicler of [Venice’s] extraordinary history. . . . Paradise of Cities offers delicious new insights [and] open[s] a door to one of the world’s most memorable cities.” –The Seattle Times
“Suavely presented. . . . Appealing. . . . Full of relishable moments. . . . Paradise of Cities shows a sharp eye for the curious and entertaining. . . . It lights up many facets of expatriate life in the world’s most inexhaustibly alluring city.” –The Sunday Times (London)
“Illuminating. . . . Norwich is a historian of uncommon urbanity: scholarly and erudite but never pedantic. His style is as graceful and easy as it is knowledgeable.” –Los Angeles Times
“Stylish, resonant, indelible . . . an ode to a very splendid and unique city.” –Booklist (starred and boxed review)
“Supremely readable and often witty.” –The Guardian
“First-rate. . . . Lovely. . . . Engaging. . . . Informed by first rate scholarship and leavened with deep affection. . . . The subject is wonderfully rich, the chronicler gifted and knowledgeable.” –Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Engaging. . . . Makes intelligent sense out of how Venice evolved from the pleasure capital of 17th- and 18th-century Europe . . . into a 21st-century aesthetic temple.” –Financial Times
Most helpful customer reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful.
LIfestyles of the Rich and Famous
By disheveledprofessor
My first exposure to the writing of John Julius Norwich was through his excellent series on Byzantium. ["A Short History of Byzantium"; "Byzantium: The Early Centuries"; "Byzantium: The Apogee"; "Byzantium: The Decline and Fall"]. He is an excellent writer, producing elegant prose combined with a love for his subject and an enticing sense of humor. Because of my enjoyment of this series, I picked up this book without hesitation.
Venice has a proud history: politically, as an independent city-state; economically, the wealthy center of trade routes; artistically, possessing architectural treasures that still lure tourists. All this in addition to a breathtaking natural beauty.
By the time covered by this book, however, the city had lost its political independence and power [being conquered by Napoleon at the beginning of the 1800s, and then being passed on to Austria], as well as its economic importance [as new trade routes were developed; as the US developed as an economic power, causing trade with the west to eclipse trade with the east].
Venice continued, however, to attract wealthy and prominent citizens from England the America. Was it the natural beauty? The cultural offerings? A sense of nostalgia? "Paradise of Cities" relates snippets of the lives of the "rich and famous" who visited, often for extended periods, Venice during the 19th century. Norwich includes biographical sketches of Napoleon, Lord Byron, Wagner, Henry James, Robert Browing, James Whistler, and John Singer Sargent, among others, emphasizing their time in and love of Venice. Unfortunately, while there are many interesting tidbits about their lives in Venice, there is little insight as to what it was about Venice which enchanted them. It would have been fascinating to know what they were running from, or what they were searching for.
I expected more of a traditional history than it is. Aside from a short chapter on the ill-fated revolution of 1848 [very interesting!], the author provides little discussion on the evolution of the city or its people during this century. Nearly all the encounters and relationships reported on are with other foreign visitors - strange, from an author who claims an overwhelming love of the city. I wonder, too, on how he selected his cast of characters... Missing was Mark Twain, who visited the city in 1867 and again in 1878. His pithy description of Italy and the Italians in "Innocents Abroad", first published in 1869, was so resented in Italy that the book was not published there until 1960! [not an unusual reaction - there is a small town in Germany which, until at least the late 1970s, wouldn't even list Twain in its card catalog].
To recap: I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5, due to the lack of history of the city. But it is enjoyable reading, if somewhat episodic.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
Fascinating History of a Fascinating City
By Charlus
Venice is one of the most romantic cities in the world and John Julius Norwich knows the city and its history better than almost anyone (having written a two volume history and edited an anthology about the city). Now he brings his history up through the 19th Century as seen through the eyes of some of its most famous residents (and some famous in their time but now forgotten). He writes in an endlessly readable prose with wit, fascinating anecdotes and an enthusiasm that is infectious. A treat for the armchair cultural historian.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
A delicacy for advanced readers of Venetian history.
By Alexander Suraev
This book is not essential, it's more like an encore, another chance for us to experience Norwich's take on Venetian history. It's very different from his previous tomes, and the reviewers that complain about the more relaxed tone and structure of this book should have read the author's introduction, where Norwich tells a reader what to expect from the pages that follow.
The book is becoming a history twice - while describing the end of republic and Napoleon's rape of Venice and later - in the chapter about the Revolution of 1848-49. The first part is indispensable if one wants to understand how and why Venice slipped into lethargy, the second is an absolutely unmissable testimony to the Venetians' yearning for their republic's rebirth.
The text about the Revolution is an insertion, yes, but without it the nineteenth century Venice would have looked just like a picturesque ruin inhabited by docile natives.
The texts about Venice in XIX-XX are a delicasy for these who are already familiar with the much more researched and written about periods of La Serenissima's life. Finishing it's story with the year 1797 is like cutting short someone's biography when and because a person grows older and becomes less entertaining.
I wouldn't recommend anyone to start his or her reading about Venice with this book, but also I have no doubt that as your 15th or 30th book on the subject Paradise Of The Cities will be a delight.
After introduction you can make your own...playlist of chapters, I've proceeded to the last, about "Baron Corvo", then skipped to Ruskin, followed with the one about Layards (just because I haven't heard of them before), enjoyed the text about Whistler and Sargent, was a bit disappointed by the pages with the story of Byron (Christopher Hibbert tells it better, I think), it's a pleasure to zigzag through this book choosing the next chapter on a whim - something that's absolutely impossible when you read Norwich's best known history.
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