Cuore (Heart)

An Italian Schoolboy's Journal

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Pages: 227

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About this book

On the first day back at the Baretti school, Enrico misses the country holiday and the cheerful teacher he has left behind. His journal follows a year in an Italian elementary school, where lessons, classmates and family life shape his view of other people. The stern new master, Perboni, soon reveals his kindness, asking the boys to treat their classroom as a family. Dated entries give these everyday encounters the immediacy of a child's changing feelings.

Edmondo De Amicis places friendship and sympathy beside a strong sense of national belonging. The pupils mourn a child's death and prepare for a prize ceremony bringing together boys from different regions of Italy. Written for young readers, the novel offers a view of schooling in which good conduct matters as much as examination results. Its mixture of personal observation and moral instruction will interest readers of children's fiction and school stories.

About the author

Edmondo De Amicis

Edmondo De Amicis was an Italian journalist, novelist, and travel writer whose career began after military training and service. Holland, v. 1 is Helen Zimmern’s English translation of the first half of his account of the Netherlands.