'The Great Beauty' and Sorrentino's Trick

Scott Samuelson, author of "Rome as a Guide to the Good Life," on filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino’s masterpiece and the true meaning of carpe diem.

Nov 16, 2023

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Toni Servillo as the aging writer and journalist Jep Gambardella in Paolo Sorrentino’s 2013 masterpiece, *The Great Beauty* (*La grande bellezza*).

When I interviewed Scott Samuelson on a perfect summer day over perfect Negronis in early June, I knew I had to publish this passage from his latest book, Rome As a Guide to the Good Life: A Philosophical Grand T…

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A guest post by

Scott Samuelson

Scott Samuelson is a teacher, philosopher, and essayist. His most recent book is Rome as a Guide to the Good Life: A Philosophical Grand Tour. He's currently working on The Angels of Bread: On Making Food and Being Human.