by Audrey Griffith
Staff Writer
Kenneth Scambray, Professor of English at the University of La Verne, began 20 years ago as a book and film critic for L’Italo-Americano, the west coast Italian-English newspaper established in 1908. About three years ago, Scambray decided he would like to write a book that talked about bicultural North American Italian experience.
He pieced together the essays he wrote for L’Italo-Americano, and put together a book, about 130 pages, that was published by Guernica Editions just this last month.
It was a 12-month publication process. Scambray submitted his manuscript in October of 1999. Scambray’s book, “The North American Italian Renaissance: Italian Writings in America and Canada,” is a contribution to American multiculturalists.
“This book is a collection of essays that treat the various categories that exist in any field of study, such as literary criticism, history, sociology, folklore, drama, the novel and the publisher. These categories constitute the field of study.The intention of this book is to provide a statement of what is available and what is actually going on in Italian American studies.”said Scambray. “This book came from my general readings and personal opinions. It’s a literary analysis.”
This collection of essays presents a critical analysis of “Italianese” literature written over the last 30 years in North America, during a time that can be called a renaissance in Italian writing.
Professor Scambray recently returned from the book launching in Toronto, and will travel this weekend to New York City for the First Annual Italian American book fair where he will be on the panel for book reviewing.
Scambray said he has a rich Italian background. His grandparents both came to America from Italy at the turn of the century. He teaches a class entitled North American Italian Literature. This will also be the second year that Scambray takes students to Rome and Florence for January Interterm. “It’s a great experience,” says Scambray.
Scambray also hopes to have another book finished and published in a month by the same publishers. “It’s a book of five of my personal, fiction short stories. Each story is anywhere from about 20 to 45 pages,” said Scambray.
Audrey Jean Griffith
