The Sicilian Puppet Theater of Agrippino Manteo (1884-1947): The Paladins of France in America, received the 2024 American Association of Teachers of Italian (AATI) Book Award
The Sicilian Puppet Theater of Agrippino Manteo (1884-1947)
With this volume, Jo Ann Cavallo offers a meticulous and detailed reconstruction of the history of the Manteo family marionette theater in New York City. The author reinforces this important study of the migration of the puppet theater from Sicily to the Americas by providing excellent translations of eight selected plays. An expert on Italian chivalric epic, Cavallo demonstrates the indebtedness of these works to the Storia dei paladini, which in turn follows the plot of Matteo Maria Boiardo’s Orlando Innamorato and Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso. Cavallo’s smart and accessible study incorporates both the historical and cultural context of the puppet plays while tracing the diasporic journey of this art form from Europe to South and North America. This fascinating study of the little-known impresario Manteo, his family and their descendants sheds light on the creative genius and cultural importance of early twentieth century Italian immigrants.