Part memoir, part social commentary, and part literary criticism, Chiaroscuro is not only profoundly original but also of crucial importrance in establishing the contours of an Italian American tradition. Spanning a quarter century of work, these essays by Helen Barolini explore her personal search, literature as a formative influence, and the turning of the personal into the political. Includes an Index.

(Key Words: Helen Barolini, Autobiography, Italian-American Studies, Literary Essays, Memoirs, Signed Books, Italian Americans, WASPS, Silence, Rome, Camilla Paglia, Italy, Holidays, Family, Mary Caponegro, Autonomy).