The City of Falling Angels

This morning I presented a professional development workshop to an adult education program in another county.  During my travels to the workshop I tuned in public radio and was treated to a interview with John Berendt concerning his new work of nonfiction entitled, The City of Falling Angels.

Even though Mr. Berendt has only published two books, you are very familiar with him if you have ever visited the beloved city of Savannah.  Every gift shop, souvenir shop, and restaurant has a sign announcing that they carry "The Book."  The book that they speak of is Mr. Berendt's first publication, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Whereas this piece of non-fiction gives us a glimpse into Savannah and its colorful denizens, The City of Falling Angels takes us to the heart of Venice.  The book opens on January 29, 1996, with the burning destruction of La Fenice Opera House and ends seven years later at the post-reconstruction re-inaugural concert.

Among the many interesting Venetians included in the book, I am most looking forward to Berendt’s pages dedicated to Olga Rudge who was the mistress of poet and critic, Ezra Pound.

The interview was so compelling that I had to rush to the nearest bookstore and purchase my own copy. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil spent 4 years on the best seller list. Perhaps The City of Falling Angels may rival its predecessor!