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Venice, an Odyssey, hope, anger and the future of cities by Neal E. Robbins (La Toletta edition 2021)

by Neal E Robbins
(Cambridge, England)

A Book about Venice

I write to bring to your attention a book that I think would be of interest, given the recent attention to Venice.

As you will know, the go-to book at present for the city is Venice by Jan Morris.

This summer La Toletta edizioni published my book, Venice, an Odyssey: Hope, anger and the future of cities. The book has already been translated into Italian. The link is an Amazon affiliate link and a small commission is earned by the ItalyMammaMia family but the price is the same for you.

In my own self-interested opinion, my book is the successor to Morris’s Venice. It covers similar territory, and was, in fact, inspired by Morris’s book. It is a very different book, but I trust it is quite as engaging and most certainly more reflective of Venice today. Morris’s book profiles a Venice of the 1960s, when the book was written. Mine is bang up to date through 2021. A lot has changed in 60 years.


With kind regards,

Neal

Neal E Robbins



Here are some reviews of the book:


“He defines the work as non-fiction, but in reality, it is a gripping narrative that falls between diary and reflection, between the coming-of-age novel and in-depth report… It is an innovative contribution that puts together (with his capacity in exposition as a journalist and creativity in narration) the eyes of a foreigner and the heart of a “Venetian”…, the volume will certainly be of great interest, whether you are Venetian and/or someone who knows the city.”
Mario Santi, The Venetian foreigner, 19 June 2021, Ytali online magazine

“A knowledgeable, sensitive analysis of the environmental, social and economic challenges facing Venice today.”
Cristina Gregorin, Venice guide and novelist, winner of the Italo Calvino special mention 2019

“An intimate rediscovery of La Serenissima’s magic that sees it not just as a town or a landscape, but a core of stories, and gets to the reality of Venice for the people who live there.”
Isabella Panfido, poet and author of Venice Noir: The Dark History of the Lagoons

“…the layers of knowledge and web of revelations Robbins records in these pages is so easy to read. At the end of this immense work, you are a more cultivated, cultured individual than when you began – but the prose flows and hooks you in. This is travel writing at its best.“
Anne Gravey, The Cambridge Critique – Discerning Views, Thoughts And Debate On The Cultural Scene

“Nonfiction essay? A guide? An historical text? An autobiographical story? There’s a bit of everything in this accurate, interesting, original work… Neal is the Venetian Ulysses… With wisdom and judiciousness, Neal confronts the fundamental themes — historical, environmental and social — seeking to overcome cliches, invented traditions, and prejudices….“
Giorgio Crovato, historian and a director of Ateneo Veneto, the foremost cultural institution of Venice, describes Venice, an Odyssey.

“I would very much like to recommend… “Venice, an Odyssey” by Neal E. Robbins. … in easy-to-read, unacademic English … A research on history, but primarily on the current situation in Venice with all overwhelming problems … Discussions with “all of Venice”… for anyone like me, struggles with the local papers and the unspeakable local politics … you can better understand developments, connections and perspectives here.”
Google translation from German original
Brigitte Eckert, Unterwegs in Venedig / Out and about in Venice / Venedig Reiseblog /Venice travel blog


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