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Title: The Italian Evil Eye
Review: Lawrence DiStasi's "Mal Ochhio" is on the same shelf in my study as the works of Freud and Jung. Of course, being Italian, I know this one intimately.DiStasi traces the historic antecedents and folk traditions from which sprang this fecund myth. With roots in jealousy, envy, primal fear of the other, and the interconnectedness of all things, the Italian Evil Eye myth requires a work of scholarly research and also a life's experience. DiStasi's book embodies both.The duality of feeling combining the mistrust of compliments and the total urge to protect oneself and one's loved ones is the underpinning of the author's description of Mal Occhio. At once a semiotic analysis and a loving explication of a rich and revealing cultural tradition, this work is a pleasure to experience.
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