Renowned Italian author Dacai Maraini spoke Wednesday to celebrate the establishment of an Italian major at Pepperdine and to underscore the language’s importance.
“The Italian language is the language of art of poetry of opera Maraini said. It is not the language of force of necessity; it is the language of pleasure. The true beauty of a language of an art has the capacity to form people and characters.”
Pepperdine’s Italian professors have long hoped to expand the program.
“When I came here a few years ago and I usually don’t say how many I had one class with seven students said Paola Lorenzi, Italian language coordinator. Now we are second only to Spanish” in the number of students studying the language.
Though Lorenzi and other faculty members have long argued that there should be a major two years of pushing by seniors Natalie Binczak and Brenden Rheed helped convince Pepperdine to expand the popular minor into a major.
Binczak a telecommunications major and Rheed an international business major will be the first two students to receive a degree in Italian from Pepperdine when they graduate May 2.
“The Italians got something right said Binczak, who spent four semesters in Florence. They recognize the imperfections of humanity and so they live each day to the fullest. … The Italians are the most proud most hospitable and most effortlessly poetic people I’ve ever met and I hope to be that way too. That’s why I pursued this program.”
Rheed said he hopes the passion for Italy that he observes in students returning from Florence translates into more Italian majors.
Although Rheed took multiple summer Italian courses and is enrolled in 20 units this semester until Wednesday he was unsure if Pepperdine would authorize the Italian major.
It’s not the first leap of faith he has taken for the Italian language. Two days before his flight left Florence in spring 2007 he decided to stay and find an internship in the city.
The fifth time he sent his resume to a time-share company they hired him giving him the opportunity to practice Italian.
“Like Maraini said it’s a language of pleasure he said. You can take French because it’s good for business some places or Spanish because it’s useful here but you take Italian because it’s beautiful. You love Italy and you love Italians.”
Drescher Auditorium filled nearly all 173 of its seats with Pepperdine administrators guests and students. Many of them had read Maraini’s book known in English as “The Silent Duchess in their Italian classes.
Freshman Amelia Huckins, who began taking Italian classes in middle school, said the lack of an Italian major was one of the main drawbacks of Pepperdine.
I just think language in general is important so we can learn about other cultures and not be so ethnocentric and I just particularly fell in love with Italian Huckins said. I had planned on minoring so I was thrilled when I found out about the major.”
Italian Consul General Nicola Faganello who has worked with Lorenzi to organize cultural events and internships for Pepperdine students praised the university for its Italian program and Maraini for her literature.
“She’s an idol for some in Italy Faganello said. She’s one of the most acclaimed authors in Italy so she represents very well the culture of Italy.”
Maraini has won numerous Italian literary awards including the country’s highest the Premio Strega.
She said her writing style changes depending on the subject matter of the book. For instance “The Silent Duchess” uses a multitude of metaphors to depict an 18th century Sicilian woman who can’t speak but observes insightfully while the stark stories of children betrayed by adults in “Darkness” required a straightforward writing style.
“I had to be more restrained she said. More – how do you say ‘pudico?'”
Assembled Italian-speakers offered “modest” and “puritanical but Maraini said neither fit.
That just shows the importance of language she said.