Originally published in "Harper's Magazine" in 1903 and 1904, "Italian
Fantasies" is a 1910 work by British author Israel Zangwill (1864-1926).
Highly recommended for those with an interest in Italy and Italian
history. Contents include: "Of Beauty, Faith, And Death - A Rhapsody By
Way Of Prelude", "Fantasia Napolitana - Being A Reverie Of Aquariums,
Museums, And Dead Christs", "The Carpenter's Wife - A Capriccio", "The
Earth The Centre Of The Universe - Or The Absurdity Of Astronomy", "Of
Autocosms Without Facts - Or The Emptiness Of Religions", etc. Israel
Zangwill was a leading figure in cultural Zionism during the 19th
century, as well as close friend of father of modern political Zionism,
Theodor Herzl. In later life, he renounced the seeking of a Jewish
homeland in Palestine. A notable portion of Zangwill's work concentrated
on ghetto life and earned him the nickname "the Dickens of the Ghetto".
Other notable works by this author include: "Dreamers of the Ghetto"
(1898), "Grandchildren of the Ghetto" (1892 ), and "Children of the
Ghetto: A Study of a Peculiar People" (1892). This classic work is being
republished now in a new edition complete with an introductory chapter
from "English Humourists of To-Day" by J. A. Hammerton.