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My Roman History

A Memoir

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
“A lyrical and moving exploration of the ways in which the heart governs even the pursuit of a life of the mind, this is a book for anyone who has ever loved Rome, as well as anyone who shares the experience of having found, in an unfamiliar history, their own unexpected home.” —Rebecca Mead, author of My Life in Middlemarch and Home/Land
“Brilliant . . . A personal intellectual history, a poignant account of how an expected life veers, and a boldly structured piece of writing." —Frances Mayes, author of Under the Tuscan Sun, via Instagram
In this exquisite and profound memoir, a medieval historian traces her lifelong obsession with Rome and the encounters with the city’s past and present that became fulcrum points in her life

From the time she first felt called to its gates as a high school student fascinated by Dante and Italian thanks to a life-changing teacher, Rome has been a fixed star around which Alizah Holstein’s life has rotated—despite the fact that she bears no Italian heritage, and has never lived there long enough to call it home.
In this kaleidoscopic yet intimate memoir, her shifting relationship to a vibrant city layered with human history becomes a lens on why we look to the past, on the mysteries of affinity and desire, and on what it means to grow up. Holstein weaves the stories of Romans past and present, and encounters with the city of historical figures from Petrarch to Freud, into the narrative of her evolution from a curious student abuzz with the thrill of discovery, to a lonely researcher in a city to which she feels she belongs despite knowing no one, to an ambitious young historian struggling to find her place in the halls of academia. Following a trail of memories—that first taste of a tartufo cioccolato in Piazza Navona, the ancient walls of the Via Appia blurring from the back of a motorcycle, the smudge of ink on a manuscript left by a scribe's hand over seven hundred years before—she explores what it means to be romana, Roman—and to find solace and self-knowledge in the presence of the past.
An enveloping, original, and deeply resonant account, set against one of the world's most beguiling cities, of the unexpected things that give our lives meaning, My Roman History is a profound depiction of the winding path to self-realization, which—much like history itself—is mysterious, captivating, and ever-unfolding.
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    • Kirkus

      April 15, 2024
      For a scholar of Roman history, the struggle to understand Rome's inhabitants and cultural norms "expanded [her] as a scholar and as a person." In 2005, Holstein, an independent editor, earned a doctorate in medieval history from Cornell. Although she sketches out a timeline of Rome from the first Republic through Empire to modern times, the author is particularly interested in the 14th century, a "rather gloomy period of Roman history" when the papal retinue under Clement V left the city for a 70-year residence in Avignon. Holstein's thesis centers on the question of how medieval Romans understood their city's storied past and how a "mythologized memory of a 'golden age' of the past was used in the struggle for political and social power." The author describes her lifelong education in Italian language and culture, as well as her struggles with paleography, the study and deciphering of historical manuscripts. The book's title signals that the narrative will be a personal reflection on what Rome has meant to her and how her life and learning led her to its centuries-long story. Consequently, along with the history, Holstein offers reflections on apartment hunting, rock-climbing clubs, and learning Latin. We follow along as the author jumps through the many hoops necessary to gain access to the treasures of the Vatican Library, and we get a good sense of what living in Rome was like for her during her many research trips. More heartfelt memoir than dry history lesson, the product of Holstein's lifelong fascination with Rome answers her primary questions: "What can an American tell anyone about Roman history? What could she say that an Italian had not already said? How could I know anything about Rome that an actual living, breathing Roman did not?" She turns up plenty. An intriguing history of Rome as reflected in a scholar's life.

      COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      April 29, 2024
      Historian Holstein elegantly interweaves academic inquiry and autobiography in this lush debut memoir about her love affair with Italy. Inspired to pursue a PhD on 14th-century Italian history by a high school teacher who introduced her to Dante, Holstein studs her recollections of trips to Rome—for research and pleasure—with stimulating tidbits on medieval literature, 14th-century religious squabbles, and Dante’s life and work. There are also episodes highlighting her occasional cluelessness as a tourist and underscoring her passion for the city’s aesthetic beauty. After completing her PhD and teaching for a few years, Holstein got married, had children, and founded a baby supply company in Rhode Island, which pulled her away from her academic pursuits. While casual readers may find the scholarly references tough sledding, serious Italophiles are a shoo-in for Holstein’s lovingly rendered tribute to one of the world’s greatest cities. This sings. Agent: Bill Clegg, Clegg Agency.

    • Booklist

      June 1, 2024
      This captivating memoir from a passionate scholar of medieval Rome is creatively framed by the author's love for the ancient city: a lifelong obsession first sparked by studying Dante's Inferno with a gifted high-school teacher. Holstein shares her story with a deep dive into Roman history, bringing it to life by weaving in memorable personal experiences that will speak to readers' senses, such as her first bite of a tartufo cioccolato, the intimidating process of being admitted to the Vatican Library as a student researcher, struggling to master Latin, building physical and mental strength in the camaraderie of a Roman rock-climbing club, contending with misogynistic professors, and considering the wildly impractical purchase of an ancient brick tower as a home. Along the way, like Dante in the Inferno, she weathers her own dark times as her years-long preparations for an academic career come up against insurmountable challenges. Holstein is a natural teacher, with an enlightening storia that holds particular appeal for readers fascinated by Rome, history, and travel.

      COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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