Alessandro Barbero – författare

The most important study of Charlemagne in a generation, this biography by distinguished medievalist Alessandro Barbero illuminates both the man and the world in which he lived. Charles the Great--Charlemagne--reigned from a.d. 768 to a.d. 814. At the time if his death, his empire stretched across Europe to include Bavaria, Saxony, parts of Spain, and Italy. With a remarkable grasp of detail and a sweeping knowledge of Carolingian institutions and economy, Barbero not only brings Charlemagne to life with accounts of his physical appearance, tastes and habits, family life, and ideas and actions but also conveys what it meant to be king of the Franks and, later, emperor. He recounts how Charlemagne ruled his empire, kept justice, and waged wars. He vividly describes the nature of everyday life at that time, how the economy functioned, and how Christians perceived their religion. Barbero's absorbing analysis of how concepts of slavery and freedom were subtly altered as feudal relations began to grow underscores the dramatic changes that the emperor's wars brought to the political landscape.Engaging and informed by deep scholarship, this latest account provides a new and richer context for considering one of history's most fascinating personalities.

The most important study of Charlemagne in a generation, this biography by distinguished medievalist Alessandro Barbero illuminates both the man and the world in which he lived. Charles the Great—Charlemagne—reigned from a.d. 768 to a.d. 814. At the time if his death, his empire stretched across Europe to include Bavaria, Saxony, parts of Spain, and Italy. With a remarkable grasp of detail and a sweeping knowledge of Carolingian institutions and economy, Barbero not only brings Charlemagne to life with accounts of his physical appearance, tastes and habits, family life, and ideas and actions but also conveys what it meant to be king of the Franks and, later, emperor. He recounts how Charlemagne ruled his empire, kept justice, and waged wars. He vividly describes the nature of everyday life at that time, how the economy functioned, and how Christians perceived their religion. Barbero's absorbing analysis of how concepts of slavery and freedom were subtly altered as feudal relations began to grow underscores the dramatic changes that the emperor's wars brought to the political landscape. Engaging and informed by deep scholarship, this latest account provides a new and richer context for considering one of history's most fascinating personalities.

"A vital guide ... It is difficult to imagine anyone seriously interested in Dante who will not want to own this book" AN Wilson, The TimesSince Dante Alighieri wrote the Divine Comedy it has defined how people imagine and depict not only heaven and hell, but romantic love and the human condition. However, while Dante''s works are widely celebrated outside Italy, the circumstances of his extraordinary life are less well known. Born in 1265, Dante''s adolescence was characterised by literary genius, but his political activism in one of the medieval world''s wealthiest cities led to his death in exile. Pre-eminent Dante scholar Alessandro Barbero and celebrated translator Allan Cameron bring the poet vividly to life. Animating the political intrigue, violence, civil war, exile and cities that shaped Dante''s poetic and political life, this is a remarkable portrait of one of the creators of European literature and a towering medieval figure in time for the 700th anniversary of his death.

"A vital guide ... It is difficult to imagine anyone seriously interested in Dante who will not want to own this book" AN Wilson, The TimesSince Dante Alighieri wrote the Divine Comedy it has defined how people imagine and depict not only heaven and hell, but romantic love and the human condition. However, while Dante's works are widely celebrated outside Italy, the circumstances of his extraordinary life are less well known.Born in 1265, Dante's adolescence was characterised by literary genius, but his political activism in one of the medieval world's wealthiest cities led to his death in exile. Pre-eminent Dante scholar Alessandro Barbero and celebrated translator Allan Cameron bring the poet vividly to life.Animating the political intrigue, violence, civil war, exile and cities that shaped Dante's poetic and political life, this is a remarkable portrait of one of the creators of European literature and a towering medieval figure in time for the 700th anniversary of his death.

Benditas guerras. Cruzadas y yihad explora, por un lado, la historia de las Cruzadas: los motivos religiosos y económicos que las originaron y la justificación que las validó; y por el otro: analiza la respuesta musulmana a las invasiones, el papel de los textos santos, tanto cristianos como musulmanes, y el redescubrimiento del concepto de yihad presente en el Corán.

El Diccionario medieval es un compendio de términos medievales, en el que, de forma clara y concisa, se explican conceptos de las artes, las ciencias, la vida cotidiana, la religión y la política de la Edad Media. Este libro es una herramienta indispensable para todos aquellos interesados en el Medievo y para todos los que, al leer textos de temas afines, se crucen con términos desconocidos.

En la Atenas del 411 a. C., Trasilio y Polemon, dos viejos amigos veteranos de guerra, pasan sus ultimos dias hablando de politica, mientras buscan al mejor marido para sus respectivas hijas, Glicera y Caris. Los atenienses inventaron la democracia y ahora deben defenderla: los ricos conspiran para instaurar la tirania y el pueblo muestra su recelo a los ciudadanos acaudalados. Sin embargo, las jovenes no comparten el punto de vista de la plebe; para ellas, el joven Cimon, rico, elegante y engreido, es el objeto de sus suenos secretos. Asi, cuando Glicera y Caris rompen las reglas de esa sociedad patriarcal al entrar en casa del joven, lejos de los severos ojos de sus padres, se desata en todo el pueblo un drama de siniestra actualidad, que deja expuestas la intensa lucha de clases y la persistente prepotencia de los hombres contra las mujeres.

De las lanzas medievales a los cañones napoleónicos: la historia de cuatro siglos que cambiaron para siempre el arte de la guerra en Europa.Entre el ocaso de la caballería medieval y el amanecer de los ejércitos napoleónicos, la guerra en Europa experimentó en apenas cuatro siglos una transformación radical que cambiaría para siempre el arte militar. Alessandro Barbero nos guía por esta fascinante evolución, desde las últimas cargas de caballería hasta las precisas formaciones lineales del siglo XVIII, revelando cómo los avances en armamento, tácticas y organización transformaron no solo los campos de batalla, sino la sociedad europea en su conjunto. Una obra esencial que explora las grandes revoluciones militares que definieron la época moderna.Desde las devastadoras cabalgadas de la Guerra de los Cien Años hasta las batallas científicas del Siglo de las Luces, el autor desvela cómo la guerra pasó de ser un asunto privado de la nobleza a convertirse en una empresa estatal de dimensiones colosales. Además, Barbero relata cómo los avances tecnológicos y las innovaciones tácticas se entrelazaron con profundos cambios sociales y culturales: desde el surgimiento de los ejércitos profesionales hasta la nacionalización de la guerra durante la época napoleónica. Así, el autor nos presenta no solo las grandes batallas y asedios, sino también el impacto humano de la guerra: la vida de los soldados, el destino de las poblaciones civiles y la transformación de ciudades y territorios.

Da Alessandro Barbero, il professore più amato d''Italia, una raccolta di "racconti" da leggere con il sorriso sulle labbra, che ci mostra un Medioevo diverso da come lo abbiamo sempre immaginato.Il Medioevo francese ci ha lasciato circa centocinquanta fabliaux, brevi poemetti di contenuto erotico. Una materia che nelle mani di Alessandro Barbero, provvisto della giusta ironia e arguzia, si è trasformata in un volume modernissimo, ricco di trovate sorprendenti e valenza letteraria.Una scoperta per tutti coloro che non conoscono il lato giocoso e godereccio del Medioevo!

¿Por qué comemos a determinadas horas y no a otras? Entre finales del siglo XVIII y comienzos del XIX, la aristocracia de Londres y de París alteró de manera significativa los horarios de las comidas: introdujo un desayuno abundante a media mañana, retrasó el almuerzo hasta bien entrada la tarde y relegó la cena. Lo que podría parecer un simple cambio de costumbres acabó convirtiéndose en un eficaz marcador social. A lo largo del siglo XIX, estas prácticas se difundieron entre las clases medias y en otros países, mientras las élites seguían desplazando sus hábitos para preservar la distancia. A partir de este fenómeno poco estudiado, el presente ensayo propone una lectura original de la relación entre alimentación, sociedad y lenguaje, desde la Ilustración hasta nuestros días, y arroja nueva luz sobre cómo los hábitos cotidianos reflejan jerarquías y transformaciones culturales.«El desayuno, el almuerzo y la cena no parecen tan evidentes después de leer este libro de Alessandro Barbero. A través de novelas, cartas, relatos de viajes… esta investigación sobre gustos y modas, ritmos y costumbres alimentarias en Europa desde el siglo XVIII nos descubre que los horarios de las comidas son una construcción cultural, distintos según el país, la clase social y la época, y que siempre están en evolución». La Lettura, CORRIERE DELLA SERA

Set in Gorbachev's Russia, The Anonymous Novel is a complex and compelling story of many varied characters dealing with the problems of change, coming to terms with the past and fretting about the future. Barbero manages that typically Italian trick of combining both humour and profundity, and his exceptional storytelling skill are even more clearly displayed than in this, his finest novel. The murder of Pashayev, a leading Muslim cleric in Azerbaijan, triggers a series of events. This is not a murder mystery, as the reader knows who the culprit is from the very beginning, whilst the other characters, including the investigating judge, never do, but there is nevertheless a tension - suspense even - that holds the reader, who is in any case fascinated but the breadth of the intellectual argument, the wit and the observation of human nature. Vitali Vitaliev has described this book as "a literary miracle - unique, witty and gripping. It reads like Bulgakov's prose somewhat modernised or even a careful and sensitive translation of one of the great Russian classics. It is stunningly authentic, and I cannot believe that the author and translator are NOT Russian...A book to savour and consume slowly. .."

A middle-aged judge driven by curiosity and the intellectual challenge of his work, a nervous and neurotic young historian willing to run all manner of risks to uncover the state crimes of the forties, a nerdy, well-educated and good-natured young journalist motivated principally by the desire to enjoy life and not to dwell on the miseries of the past, a KGB general once responsible for some of the purges and now an Islamist radical, an inept, capricious and delightfully self-aware Jewish actor, and an Islamic cleric loyal to the Soviet Union, whose murder has so many repercussions, all these carefully constructed characters could be found in any society but Alessandro Barbero has brought them to life in one of the most elusive, unstable and neglected historical realities: Gorbachev's Russia. And this proves to be fertile ground for Barbero, one that generates endless themes and the opportunity to express his love for Russian literature and culture. Barbero used his skills as a historian to study the reality of that society through its newspapers and journals, and his skills as a novelist to weave a complex plot - a tale of two cities: Moscow and Baku.And throughout, the narrative voice - perhaps the greatest protagonist of them all - represents not the author's views but those of the Russian public as they emerged from one dismal reality and hurtled unknowingly towards another.