Socrates, Agatha and the Future
A book for all generations, which invites us to ‘age with elegance’. An ironic guide to the art of ageing wisely, by a wise Italian.
Inspired by his two-year-old granddaughter Agata, who plays with a miniature bust of Socrates, in his new book Beppe Severgnini reflects with ease, humour and depth on the inevitable passage of time. And with playful insight, he suggests how:
– to learn to bear our age with elegance, to cultivate patience and kindness, and to accept the limitations of old age;
– to realise that we will be remembered not for the positions we have held or the successes we have achieved, but for our generosity, loyalty, imagination and sense of irony;
– to learn from our failures and setbacks, to spend time with intelligent people, and to visit beautiful places that will inspire fresh ideas.
Beppe Severgnini
Born in Crema, Severgnini graduated in law at the University of Pavia. His career in journalism began when, aged 27, he joined the Milan daily newspaper Il Giornale, headed by Italian-journalism legend Indro Montanelli, and he quickly became the paper's London correspondent. In the period leading up to the fall of communism, he worked as special correspondent from Russia, China and several Eastern European countries. When Montanelli left Il Giornale to found La Voce, Beppe followed his mentor. Following the failure of Montanelli's ambitious project at La Voce, Severgnini joined the Corriere della Sera, Italy's biggest newspaper, for which he currently writes. Since 1998, he has written a daily column for the Corriere della Sera called "Italians". The column has grown into a web forum and is among the most widely read Italian sites on the Internet, often featuring emails from Italian expatriates. Severgnini is also a writer for La Gazzetta dello Sport. He appears on radio and TV programs, for RAI and the BBC, and he is host of a debate program on SKY TG24. Every morning, at 8.30, P&C listen to him talking for few minutes at the Italian radio station "Radio Montecarlo" for his daily programme called "Italians". Between 1996 and 2003, he was the correspondent from Italy for The Economist.
Severgnini has taught at the University of Parma, the Bocconi University of Milan and the University of Pavia.
His books, published in Italy by Rizzoli, are mainly about his experiences living and working abroad. He has also written three books about Inter Football Club, of which he is a well-known supporter.
