The Invention of Sicily: A Mediterranean History

by Jamie Mackay

Whether you’re vacationing in Italy or simply an armchair traveler, this guide to the Mediterranean island of Sicily is a dazzling introduction to the region’s rich 3,000-year history and culture. A rich and fascinating cultural history of the Mediterranean’s enigmatic heart Sicily is at the crossroads of the Mediterranean, and for over 2000 years has been the gateway between Europe, Africa and the East. It has long been seen as the frontier between Western Civilization and the rest, but never definitively part of either. Despite being conquered by empires—Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Hapsburg Spain—it remains uniquely apart. The island’s story maps a mosaic that mixes the story of myth and wars, maritime empires and reckless crusades, and a people who refuse to be ruled. In this riveting, rich history Jamie Mackay peels away the layers of this most mysterious of islands. This story finds its origins in ancient myth but has been reinventing itself across in conquest and resistance. Inseparable from these political and social developments are the artefacts of the nation’s cultural patrimony—ancient amphitheaters, Arab gardens, Baroque Cathedrals, as well as great literature such as Giuseppe di Lampedusa’s masterpiece The Leopard, and the novels and plays of Luigi Pirandello. In its modern era, Sicily has been the site of revolution, Cosa Nostra and, in the twenty-first century, the epicenter of the refugee crisis.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Italy, Ancient History, Audiobook, European History, World History

305 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 13, 2021

Reviews

[Wendy Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am currently doing research about Sicily for a novel I hope to write. Thanks to Kath for bringing this to my attention. Sicily's history is complex. Because of its strategic position in the Mediterranean, it has throughout history been attractive to others. For centuries, Sicilians lived under the rule of foreign conquerors. This is a concise, well-written overview of the island's history. It was helpful to me in putting more complex accounts in perspective.

[Geoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sicily really was the crossroads of empires, some expected (Greeks, Romans, Muslims), some much less so (I had no idea that the Normans ruled Sicily for a while). I also had no idea what a regional power Sicily was for long stretches, compared to it's relative standing today. The long history also helps make sense of the present, particularly centuries of playing off and development of different regions for political gains which has contributed to the impoverishment of the south of Sicily. I also know little about the formation of the nation of Italy and the decision the new nation made to prioritize industrial development in the north and agriculture in the south, which have had ruinous consequences for Sicily. The book also does a good job covering the rise and fall and rise and current status of the mafia, framing them as a quasi-governmental actor that takes advantage of political and economic chaos to profit on drugs, corruption, and misery. On the whole a fascinating and well written book I learned a ton from.

[Kath B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an exceptionally well put together historical perspective of Sicily that also manages to capture the melancholic and brooding atmosphere that pervades the island and provides some of the reasons for this.

Having visited Sicily on a number of occasions I am familiar with most of the archaeological sites mentioned in the book and have a vague understanding of the key points in the island's history that surround them, so it was fascinating to find out more of the details and to see these incorporated into a timeline for the island.

Although it is a relatively short book, it covers a lot of ground, from Greek and Roman occupations right up to present day and includes the author's well researched findings about the politics over the years that make Sicily what it is today. He doesn't shy away from explaining the corruption and violence that was, and still is, prevalent across the island and highlights key individuals and events that are responsible for these.

After reading this book, I feel the need to re-read it and take notes in order to establish facts for myself and I also feel the need to visit Sicily again with the new knowledge that I have gained, so big an impact has it had on me.

This is a good introduction to the history of Sicily. It is a little wordy in places but not so much that it detracts from the flow of the book. The book also includes a comprehensive bibliography and further notes for readers wanting to learn more on the subject. Recommended for anyone wanting to learn more about this fascinating place.

[Manray9 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found Mackay's book to be superficial and pedestrian. Based on the reviews, I expected more.

[Jenia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glad I finally read it!! I really enjoyed it - an interesting and accessible historical introduction to a place I know little about. I wish there had been pictures included as I kept pausing to google, say, the graffiti in the cells of prisoners of the Inquisition.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish all of my Sicilian family members would read this. While I know it could go into deeper detail, it gave me a great basis for understanding more about why my family may have left Sicily when they did. It helps me understand more why I was plagued by racial and derogatory comments while growing up about being part Sicilian (they never made any sense to me) and why Northern Italians always saw themselves as superior. I didn't even know that Sicily wasn't part of Italy until the 1890s!
The writer writes very clearly, establishing a good order of many chaotic events while never buying in to assumptions and speculation. It gives me pride to know that I am part of this ancient, diverse culture.

[Brendan Campisi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good broad-strokes history of the island from the perspective of its popular classes; it was especially interesting to learn more about popular uprisings and social movements and about folk culture. Very much aimed at an audience without much familiarity with Italian history so certain parts felt a bit too simplified to me, but it's good that Verso publishes Marxist histories for Your Dad.

[Marks54 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will admit it - in reading about Italy and trying to prepare for when travel there is finally permitted, I have tended to favor the north, especially Florence and Tuscany. Why? It is sometimes hard to tell. There is so much interesting in Florence. Rome has extraordinary history too, perhaps so much that it is overwhelming. I am also interested in the south, but relative to the rest I know much less.

…and then there is Sicily. Sicily pops up in history but never seems to present a unified single history rather than a long mixture of different conquests, cultures, and stories. The Athenians ran afoul of the Sicilian Greeks in Syracuse. They in turn ran afoul of the Romans. Subsequent rulers included the Normans, the different Caliphates, the Bourbons, until Sicily finally became part of a unified Italy (sort of …). Throw in fine eating, Mt. Edna, the Mafia, and Libyan refugees, and it is not surprising that a unified picture of Sicily seems hard to find. Is Sicily one place or many? Is it part of Italy or separate? Is it a destination or a crossroads?

Jamie Mackey is a journalist and a translator who has written a fairly short one volume history of Sicily. He writes well and has written an accessible history of Sicily that begins around 800 BCE and concludes in the present. He ties together the various strands of Sicilian history into a relatively coherent whole and adds enough additional tidbits of knowledge and trivia that readers may actually want to visit the place. He even tries to explain the Sicilian Vespers uprising of the 13th century and he identifies a number of historical sites worth seeing, such as the Cathedral Church of Montreal. More illustrations and perhaps a few more maps may have helped with the book, but it was not a big problem, since I have my tablet nearby.

[Daniela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book focuses on the cultural history of Sicily as well as the current issues that the small island faces. As an American born child of Sicilian parents, I found it especially interesting to listen to. I have family that lives in Sicily and when we visited, I saw many of the places discussed. This account includes the different people that inhabited the island at different times and created the heritage and culture. The author also addresses the current political and social issues that the Sicilians face today.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is everything I was looking for in a book about Sicily! I'll likely be rereading in the very near future because this is jam-packed with information. Each section covers a different period of the history of the island, moving chronologically as the narrative progresses. Each chapter could have been an entire book with all the richness of the history in this area.

[Marin Kuijt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sicilië is fascinerend; dit boek wat minder.

[Morten Christensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5

[Carolyn Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written overview of Sicilian history from ancient times to the present. I thought the early chapters were especially engaging, describing how different cultures came together during the Byzantine and Norman periods. The later chapters summarize a lot of complex material very quickly and I thought more attention could have been focused on emigration in the 19th and early 20th centuries and the Second World War. An excellent read for anyone planning a trip to Italy.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

While reading these Sicilian stories, I noted many American correlates, such as:
1) A group of rich-world residents establish a colony in a foreign land;
2) The colonizers co-opted, pushed back, or killed the prior inhabitants;
3) A large empire with an extensive trading network absorbed the original colony;
4) The ruling families of France and Spain alternately ruled parts of it;
5) British warships bombarded its cities;
6) Bandits created havoc in the dry, sparsely populated interior;
7) The inhabitants achieved local-rule after a bloody revolution;
8) The U.S. Army conducted a military campaign across much of its territory; and
9) A secretive criminal organization infiltrated its commercial, governmental, and social institutions.
As the American-educated, long-time Italian resident, George Sanayana, famously said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." I plan to visit some of these storied, historical sites soon.

[Giancarlo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this in very dreich January/February weather has been a wee warm Island oasis retreat away from Glasgow.

MacKay uses the story of shapeshifting, sweltering, bizarre Sicily as a thumping defence of multiculturalism. I had little idea of the intricate history of the island but this is a belter of a crash course. In each well-written chapter, this book walks through the broad strokes of the island’s long story, while taking some time out to admire a few more small-scale anecdotes.

We have the hegemonic idea of the NATION STATE planted deep within us from an early age & it can be hard to shake it off. Sicily is a cracking case study of a place where these kinds of National narratives and frameworks really grate. I’m going on honeymoon to Sicily in May and, after this read, I am puuuure excited.

[Swarthout · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was lost in the shuffle in 2021. but a very dense well researched history. a very interesting island. i got lost in this book and plowed through it in 2 or 3 days. esp interesting is kings of sciliy rogers I and II, norman kings, who were quite enlightened and open, in a time when europe was not exactly known for its tolerance. honestly these guys were more open to muslims than most european or european ancestry ppl are today, a 1000 years later.
im hoping someone republishes "the book of roger" which is an atlas compiling all known information of the world in the 12th century, maybe prometheus books has already?

i'm not 100% sure why verso released it but i dont mind supporting l*ftist independent publishers. seek this one out.

[Zach]

No rating. An accessible, concise history of Sicily. Like most books with considerable breadth in the topic, you will have to consult other sources to achieve depth on any one topic/era. The author's own political orientation comes through, but not distractingly so. I wanted to learn a bit more about an intriguing place I knew very little about, and the Invention of Sicily met the mark.

[Lori Coyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook free on Libby. Some of the inner politics was above me especially with the many wars, the mafia, and fascism. Beautiful country with rich history and culture. I want to read more about Sicily.

[Genevieve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly a favourite that captures the complexities, beauty, and multi-cultural history of this magical island.

[Domenico Capilongo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful in-depth look at this amazing island. Fantastico!

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straightforward, concise history that is too the point and doesn't waste anyone's time. It manages to be informative & compelling without any wallowing in unnecessary minutiae.

[Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched, nicely told, interesting history

[Thijs Janssen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read before the trip to sicaly. Lot of info but never dense, with a hopeful closing chapter. Gave a great backdrop for the rich historic locations we came across. Great read!

[Eros · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative first part until unification of Italy.
I really enjoyed the writing style, the pace of the reading and the connections between ages.
A bit too political in the modern/contemporary part.

[Sarah Kimberley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book and the way it brought Sicily to life. Sicily is a place at the heart of the Mediterranean world, where empires came to bleed, to build and dissolve into the soil for twenty-eight centuries. It was a land where Icarus and the inventor Daedalus were desperately trying to reach according to Greek mythology. A place where Arab poets emerged and Byzantine mosaics first caught the light of a midday sun.

Over time, Sicily became a luminous theatre where the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs and Normans clashed and coalesced over centuries. It has constantly changed hands and Mackay’s approach to this is brilliant. Offering Sicilian identity as a vibrant mosaic of defiance. An island afflicted with deep historical wounds like any other that has witnessed conflict and rebellion. The book unfolds as a story of slaves, writers and modern-day citizens who have continually redefined “cosmopolitanism” from the periphery of the world.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

The historical diversity and resiliency of the island makes me very proud of my Sicilian heritage!

[Hal Brodsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dry history of Sicily focusing on politics through the ages with occasional tangents about artists and authors. The author's goal seems to be to explain how Sucily wound up as poor and corrupt as he claims it is. (I was primarily interested in Sicily's Ancient history, and now this book leaves me afraid to go there. Sigh.)

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book to read before we visit Sicily this September. What a rich history, with lots of context about places we will visit and may not have visited otherwise. I do hope Sicily’s best days are ahead!

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up as an Italian (Sicilian) American in the United States, between familial stories and media depictions like "The Godfather", it was always difficult and confusing to parse what was authentic and what was exaggerated or outright made up about Sicily and my ancestors.

This well-researched and readable one volume history of Sicily has really helped give me a sense of the complex history and many distinct cultures that have both fragmented and shaped Sicily.

"For centuries Sicilians have struggled to assert their autonomy in the face of Catholic monoculture, Italian nationalism, fascism and organized crime."

Annacamento.

[Clare Kirwan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a clear, concise history of an extraordinarily diverse island that’s been in the centre of Mediterranean civilisation through all its phases: Greek, Roman, Islamic, Norman, Bourbon to name but a few. This could be a dry procession of armies and rulers but the author uses architecture, art, literature, food, film etc to paint a vivid picture of the evolution of the place and its people.