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The Story of San Michele
The Story of San Michele (a villa built on the ruins of a Roman Emperor's villa in Capri) is a series of overlapping vignettes, roughly but not entirely in chronological order. It contains reminiscences of many periods of the author's life. He associated with a number of celebrities of his times, including Jean-Martin Charcot, Louis Pasteur, Henry James, and Guy de Maupassant, all of whom figure in the book. He also associated with the very poorest of people, including Italian immigrants in Paris and plague victims in Naples, as well as rural people such as the residents of Capri, and the Nordic Lapplanders. He was an unabashed animal lover, and animals figure prominently in several stories, perhaps most notably his alcoholic pet baboon, Billy.
The stories cover a wide range in terms of both how serious they are and how literal. Several discussions with animals and various supernatural beings take place, and the final chapter actually takes place after Munthe has died and includes his discussions with Saint Peter at the gates of Heaven. At no point does Munthe seem to take himself particularly seriously, but some of the things he discusses are very serious, such as his descriptions of rabies research in Paris, including euthanasia of human patients, and a suicide attempt by a man convinced he had been exposed to the disease.
Several of the most prominent figures in Munthe's life are not mentioned in Story of San Michele. His wife and children do not figure in the narrative; very little of his time in England is mentioned, even though he married a British woman, his children were largely raised in England, and he himself became a British citizen during the First World War. His decades-long service as personal physician and confidante to the Queen of Sweden is mentioned only in the most oblique terms; at one point, while naming her only as "she who must be mother to a whole nation", he mentions that she regularly brings flowers for the grave of one of her dogs buried at Villa San Michele, at another point, one of his servants is out walking his dogs, and encounters the Queen, who mentions having given the dog to Munthe.
Munthe published a few other reminiscences and essays during the course of his life, and some of them were incorporated into The Story of San Michele, which vastly overshadows all his other writing both in length and popularity. Notably, his accounts of working with a French ambulance corps during the First World War are not included.
World wide, the book was immensely successful; by 1930, there had been twelve editions of the English version alone, and Munthe added a second preface. A third preface was written in 1936 for an illustrated edition
The stories cover a wide range in terms of both how serious they are and how literal. Several discussions with animals and various supernatural beings take place, and the final chapter actually takes place after Munthe has died and includes his discussions with Saint Peter at the gates of Heaven. At no point does Munthe seem to take himself particularly seriously, but some of the things he discusses are very serious, such as his descriptions of rabies research in Paris, including euthanasia of human patients, and a suicide attempt by a man convinced he had been exposed to the disease.
Several of the most prominent figures in Munthe's life are not mentioned in Story of San Michele. His wife and children do not figure in the narrative; very little of his time in England is mentioned, even though he married a British woman, his children were largely raised in England, and he himself became a British citizen during the First World War. His decades-long service as personal physician and confidante to the Queen of Sweden is mentioned only in the most oblique terms; at one point, while naming her only as "she who must be mother to a whole nation", he mentions that she regularly brings flowers for the grave of one of her dogs buried at Villa San Michele, at another point, one of his servants is out walking his dogs, and encounters the Queen, who mentions having given the dog to Munthe.
Munthe published a few other reminiscences and essays during the course of his life, and some of them were incorporated into The Story of San Michele, which vastly overshadows all his other writing both in length and popularity. Notably, his accounts of working with a French ambulance corps during the First World War are not included.
World wide, the book was immensely successful; by 1930, there had been twelve editions of the English version alone, and Munthe added a second preface. A third preface was written in 1936 for an illustrated edition
358 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1929
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4,523 people want to read
About the author
Axel Munthe
41books64followersPhysician, psychiatrist, and writer. He was educated at the University of Uppsala and at Monpellier in Paris where he received his M.D. He studied the work of the French neurologist Jean Martin Charcot and used hypnosis in his own work with the physical and psychological symptoms of his patients. He later became physician to the Swedish Royal family.
He became known as "the modern St. Francis of Assissi" because he financed sanctuaries for birds.
As a writer Munthe recounted his own experiences as a physician and psychiatrist.
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December 23, 2021
Boken om San Michele = The Story of San Michele, Axel Munthe
The Story of San Michele is a book of memoirs by Swedish physician Axel Munthe first published in 1929. The Story of San Michele has 32 chapters. It is a series of overlapping vignettes, roughly but not entirely in chronological order. It contains reminiscences of many periods of his life. He associated with a number of celebrities of his times, including Jean-Martin Charcot, Louis Pasteur, Henry James, and Guy de Maupassant, all of whom figure in the book.
The stories cover a wide range in terms of both how serious they are and how literal. Several discussions with animals and supernatural beings take place, and the final chapter actually takes place after Munthe has died and includes his discussions with Saint Peter at the gates of Heaven.
At no point does Munthe seem to take himself particularly seriously, but some of the things he discusses are very serious, such as his descriptions of rabies research in Paris, including euthanasia of human patients, and a suicide attempt by a man convinced he had been exposed to the disease. Several of the most prominent figures in Munthe's life are not mentioned in Story of San Michele.
His wives and children do not figure in the narrative, and he even describes himself as "a single man" in the last chapter, when he had been married for about 20 years; very little of his time in England is mentioned, even though he married a British woman, his children were largely raised in England, and he himself became a British citizen during the First World War.
His decades-long service as personal physician and confidant to the Queen of Sweden is mentioned only in the most oblique terms; at one point, while naming her only as "she who must be mother to a whole nation", he mentions that she regularly brings flowers for the grave of one of her dogs buried at Villa San Michele, at another point, one of his servants is out walking his dogs, and encounters the Queen, who mentions having given the dog to Munthe. ...
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: ماه ژانویه سال 1976میلادی
عنوان: نامه سان میکله؛ نویسنده: اکسل مونته؛ مترجم: م.ا. به آذین (محمود اعتماد زاده)؛ تهران، بنگاه نشر اندیشه، سال1337؛ در414ص؛ چاپ دیگر تهران، آگاه، سال1354؛ در410ص؛ چاپ سوم سال1357؛ چاپ دیگر تهران، آتیه، سال1379؛ در446ص؛ شابک9646373348؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان سوئد - سده20م
نقل از متن: (ناگهان، در میان سکوت وحشتزا، به نظرم رسید، که چهچهه ی پرندگان را میشنوم؛ سهره ی کوچکی، از آنها که در باغها دیده میشوند، بر دوش من نشست، و در گوش من خواند «تو، جان مادر بزرگ من، و سه برادر و خواهرم را نجات دادی؛ خوش آمدی! خوش آمدی!»؛ همان دم، چکاوکی به سر انگشتم نوک زد، و چهچه سرایان گفت «در لاپونی، مرغ مگس خواری دیدم که میگفت تو در کودکی، بال یکی از نیاکانش را جا انداختی، و پیکر سرما زده اش را، روی قلب خود گرم کردی، و هنگامی که دست باز کردی تا آزادانه به پرواز درآید؛ گفتی برو، برادرکم! برو به امان خدا، برادرکم! - خوش آمدی، خوش آمدی»)؛ پایان نقل از متن کتاب ص409؛
اکسل مارتین فردریک مونته (روز سی و یکم ماه اکتبر سال1857میلادی، اوسکرشهم سوئد - روز یازدهم ماه فوریه سال1949میلادی - استکهلم) روانپزشکی «سوئدی» بودند، که بیشتر برای نگارش همین کتاب پرآوازه� اش «نامه سن� میکله»، نام و آوازه اش در جهان پیچید؛ ایشان به هفت زبان (سوئدی، انگلیسی، فرانسوی، ایتالیایی، فلوئنتلی، و آلمانی) سخن میگفتند� ایشان در کشور «فرانسه» پزشکی خواندند؛ دکتر «اکسل مونته» بیشتر عمر خویش را در کشور «ایتالیا» سپری کردند؛ به یاد پزشکان همین دیارمان افتادم، که این روزها آنها هم به چند زبان سخن میگویند؛
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 10/10/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 01/10/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
The Story of San Michele is a book of memoirs by Swedish physician Axel Munthe first published in 1929. The Story of San Michele has 32 chapters. It is a series of overlapping vignettes, roughly but not entirely in chronological order. It contains reminiscences of many periods of his life. He associated with a number of celebrities of his times, including Jean-Martin Charcot, Louis Pasteur, Henry James, and Guy de Maupassant, all of whom figure in the book.
The stories cover a wide range in terms of both how serious they are and how literal. Several discussions with animals and supernatural beings take place, and the final chapter actually takes place after Munthe has died and includes his discussions with Saint Peter at the gates of Heaven.
At no point does Munthe seem to take himself particularly seriously, but some of the things he discusses are very serious, such as his descriptions of rabies research in Paris, including euthanasia of human patients, and a suicide attempt by a man convinced he had been exposed to the disease. Several of the most prominent figures in Munthe's life are not mentioned in Story of San Michele.
His wives and children do not figure in the narrative, and he even describes himself as "a single man" in the last chapter, when he had been married for about 20 years; very little of his time in England is mentioned, even though he married a British woman, his children were largely raised in England, and he himself became a British citizen during the First World War.
His decades-long service as personal physician and confidant to the Queen of Sweden is mentioned only in the most oblique terms; at one point, while naming her only as "she who must be mother to a whole nation", he mentions that she regularly brings flowers for the grave of one of her dogs buried at Villa San Michele, at another point, one of his servants is out walking his dogs, and encounters the Queen, who mentions having given the dog to Munthe. ...
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: ماه ژانویه سال 1976میلادی
عنوان: نامه سان میکله؛ نویسنده: اکسل مونته؛ مترجم: م.ا. به آذین (محمود اعتماد زاده)؛ تهران، بنگاه نشر اندیشه، سال1337؛ در414ص؛ چاپ دیگر تهران، آگاه، سال1354؛ در410ص؛ چاپ سوم سال1357؛ چاپ دیگر تهران، آتیه، سال1379؛ در446ص؛ شابک9646373348؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان سوئد - سده20م
نقل از متن: (ناگهان، در میان سکوت وحشتزا، به نظرم رسید، که چهچهه ی پرندگان را میشنوم؛ سهره ی کوچکی، از آنها که در باغها دیده میشوند، بر دوش من نشست، و در گوش من خواند «تو، جان مادر بزرگ من، و سه برادر و خواهرم را نجات دادی؛ خوش آمدی! خوش آمدی!»؛ همان دم، چکاوکی به سر انگشتم نوک زد، و چهچه سرایان گفت «در لاپونی، مرغ مگس خواری دیدم که میگفت تو در کودکی، بال یکی از نیاکانش را جا انداختی، و پیکر سرما زده اش را، روی قلب خود گرم کردی، و هنگامی که دست باز کردی تا آزادانه به پرواز درآید؛ گفتی برو، برادرکم! برو به امان خدا، برادرکم! - خوش آمدی، خوش آمدی»)؛ پایان نقل از متن کتاب ص409؛
اکسل مارتین فردریک مونته (روز سی و یکم ماه اکتبر سال1857میلادی، اوسکرشهم سوئد - روز یازدهم ماه فوریه سال1949میلادی - استکهلم) روانپزشکی «سوئدی» بودند، که بیشتر برای نگارش همین کتاب پرآوازه� اش «نامه سن� میکله»، نام و آوازه اش در جهان پیچید؛ ایشان به هفت زبان (سوئدی، انگلیسی، فرانسوی، ایتالیایی، فلوئنتلی، و آلمانی) سخن میگفتند� ایشان در کشور «فرانسه» پزشکی خواندند؛ دکتر «اکسل مونته» بیشتر عمر خویش را در کشور «ایتالیا» سپری کردند؛ به یاد پزشکان همین دیارمان افتادم، که این روزها آنها هم به چند زبان سخن میگویند؛
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 10/10/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 01/10/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
January 10, 2018
I had read firstly about The Story of San Michele in some other novel and the image that emerged from it and formed in my mind then was so enticing that I knew I had to get this book. Well, better said than done as it turned out. None of my friends had heard about it or had a copy, I couldn’t find it in the library, it was constatly borrowed or maybe lost. Anyway some time passed and I was a student in Cracow and lived with some other students in rented apartament. We had four rooms there, five in fact, but the fifth one was kind of lumber room with many things stored there by the owners. I remember one day entering this glory hole as we used to name it. Oh my, there was everything there. A table and chairs and lamps and cabinet and bookcases and who knows what else. It was so packed that you barely could open the door. So I peeked in there and noticed a pile of books. Automatically I took the first one, it was dirty and awfully dusty, I blew the dust off, I still see this scene like a photograph, I see swirling motes of dust in the light from the window on the opposite side, I see myself opening the book. I read the title. And there it was. Mine for reading. Finally. The story of San Michele.
The story of San Michele as a genre is rather difficult to define. Though this is very personal account we don't get that much about family matters. Instead of the novel abounds in many well known figures of its times. Doctors: Charcot or Pasteur, writers: Henry James and Guy de Maupassant, psychologist William James are among of them. This half memoir, half collection of anectodets gives us also quite realistic picture of the state of medicine of the XIX century, views that felt quite modern then but also highly conservative views or indications of ignorance and backwardness in the eyes of contemporary readers.
From it pages emerges a picture of, from one hand, a fashionable doctor in Paris, later in Rome, treating rich snobs from imaginary diseases, hysteria seemed to be the favorite ailment of spoiled aristocrats then, frequent stayer of salons, kind of blue-eyed boy for high society. You can't hide your amusement when you read these passages about methods of curing of very popular then appendix, which career ended when it turned out, horror of horrors! that it needed to be treated surgically; but for life can not stand the vacuum cases of colitis were mushrooming immediately instead!
On the other hand we have a doctor tirelessly wandering through districts of poverty and dirty places inhabited by immigrants to come to help poor families. We see him volunteering in plague ridden Naple in cholera epidimic or in ruined by earthquake Messina. He's didactic at times but mostly compassionate and full of empathy. In his person we get to know a man, first of all a humanist, trying to alleviate the suffering of every living creature, no matter human or animal, he was a great advocate of animal rights, but also understanding the need for medical experiments, which he so vividly described in the chapter devoted to treatment for rabies and his visits to Pasteur in his institute.
The novel stylistically feels uneven, it's not very chronologic and sometimes you can't help the impression that he somewhat stretched the truth to tie up all loose ends. It's highly, drastically realistic to become some chapters later almost fairy tale from Lappish legends. Sometimes it is very detailed then again quite vague. Heartbreaking chapter about poor little John is balanced by scathing portrait of Munthe’s housekeeper, diabolique though mainly grotesque mamsell Agata; emotional record of last days of Monsieur Alphonse, an old resident of the little sisters of the poor is broken by tragicomic story about Munthe forced to play the role of corpse-conductor.
But whatever Munthe was doing he was motivated by one goal, the image of villa San Michele on Capri that he visited as a very young man. He had kind of vision then, I know it’s licentia poetica, and was promised to have this place one day to himself. And so it happened. But there was a price to that dream.
These passages on his life on Capri feel the most beguiling to me. And all inhabitants Munthe got acquinted with there and steep path with seven hundred and seventy seven Phoenician steps leading to Anacapri, and old Maria porta lettere, and myths on Timberio, the infamous emperor who departed from his life nearby, and old chapel called San Michele, and Vinzenzo who built here his own house from the stones remaining after ruined villa of Tiberius, and dream of the young Axel to settle there one day and have a stone sphinx to guard the place and so on, so on.
I don’t know if it's the most beautiful book in the world as we are told sometimes, I don't even know if it is five stars reading but don’t care in fact. The novel has to me mostly emotional value as a reminder of some wonderful times in my life and pleasure that gave me as a reader. Despite some sentimentality at times, naivety even that I can see now the story felt magical to me. I buy entirely its literary convention and poetic in which it was written, that blend of reality with magic. And only for the first chapter or the final dream-like sequences I would give the novel the highest rating.
August 17, 2017
"Să trăiești într-un loc ca acesta, să mori într-un asemenea loc, dacă moartea ar putea învinge vreodată nemuritoarea bucurie a unei astfel de vieți! Ce vis îndrăzneț îmi făcuse inima să-mi bată așa de violent, cu câteva clipe în urmă, când Mastro Vincenzo îmi povestise că îmbătrânea și că obosise și că fiul lui îi ceruse să își vândă casa? Ce gânduri îndrăznețe îmi fulgeraseră prin creierul meu agitat când el spusese că nu îi aparține nimănui capela?"
"- Nu-i mai aduce așa multe jucării scumpe, îi spusei eu, copiilor le plac jucăriile ieftine la fel de mult, și sunt așa de mulți care nu au niciuna. Am remarcat adesea că o păpușă modestă de câțiva bănuți are întotdeauna mare succes, chiar și în cele mai bogate camere de copii. Când copiii învață să înțeleagă valoarea în bani a jucăriilor pe care le au, își părăsesc paradisul lor, încetează să mai fie copii."
"- Nu-i mai aduce așa multe jucării scumpe, îi spusei eu, copiilor le plac jucăriile ieftine la fel de mult, și sunt așa de mulți care nu au niciuna. Am remarcat adesea că o păpușă modestă de câțiva bănuți are întotdeauna mare succes, chiar și în cele mai bogate camere de copii. Când copiii învață să înțeleagă valoarea în bani a jucăriilor pe care le au, își părăsesc paradisul lor, încetează să mai fie copii."
May 26, 2015
This is the autobiography of a gung ho doctor and adventurer, carrying a bag full of rich stories � some of them funny, others magical, others tragic . He has a deep well of love and compassion for both human beings and animals, in all our states of being. From the hypochondria of some of his wealthy patients to the desperate plights of some of his poorer ones � Axel Munthe connects passionately with the humanity in all of us. At the start of his career he was the youngest person ever to have graduated as a doctor in France � and that promise seems to have been realized in how he lived the remainder of his life.
He must have been an amazingly energetic and strong-charactered man, enduring the terrible aftermath of the 1908 earthquakes in Messina and Reggio, a life-threatening avalanche in Switzerland, and single-handedly escorting a violent patient from Italy to Mund in southern Sweden, with various adventures along the way. He also survived a pistol dual in Paris. This last encounter was a typical story where the goody wins over the baddy. There are many of these stories in Munthe’s life, and he is always on the side of the goodies.... well, to be honest, he usually the main hero. He has a charmingly self-deprecating style though, so the endless unrolling of one brave struggle after another, with Munthe emerging as hero, is not offensive.
The medicine in the book is interesting too. The terrible (and often losing) battles of the time, fought against rabies, cholera, diphtheria and tuberculosis, with families often blighted with the death of a child or parent. Munthe’s work with psychological illnesses was also interesting. He writes at length about Charcot, hypnotism, and neurosis....along with his feelings that some of these problems were exacerbated rather than helped by the medical help applied to them.
The love of his life and his place of retreat was the island of Capri, the people there, and the wonderful villa he was building there - the “San Michele� of the title. They only formed a fairly small part of the book for me though, as I found his other experiences so utterly gripping.
The one let down was the last chapter � an imagined meeting with death. He writes about death throughout the book, and seemingly had no compunction about shortening the lives of patients who were suffering in the last hours of their lives with a dose of ‘morphia�. But this last chapter was interminable and boring, and to be honest I skipped over most of it.
The rest of the book was fascinating and un-put-downable.
He must have been an amazingly energetic and strong-charactered man, enduring the terrible aftermath of the 1908 earthquakes in Messina and Reggio, a life-threatening avalanche in Switzerland, and single-handedly escorting a violent patient from Italy to Mund in southern Sweden, with various adventures along the way. He also survived a pistol dual in Paris. This last encounter was a typical story where the goody wins over the baddy. There are many of these stories in Munthe’s life, and he is always on the side of the goodies.... well, to be honest, he usually the main hero. He has a charmingly self-deprecating style though, so the endless unrolling of one brave struggle after another, with Munthe emerging as hero, is not offensive.
The medicine in the book is interesting too. The terrible (and often losing) battles of the time, fought against rabies, cholera, diphtheria and tuberculosis, with families often blighted with the death of a child or parent. Munthe’s work with psychological illnesses was also interesting. He writes at length about Charcot, hypnotism, and neurosis....along with his feelings that some of these problems were exacerbated rather than helped by the medical help applied to them.
The love of his life and his place of retreat was the island of Capri, the people there, and the wonderful villa he was building there - the “San Michele� of the title. They only formed a fairly small part of the book for me though, as I found his other experiences so utterly gripping.
The one let down was the last chapter � an imagined meeting with death. He writes about death throughout the book, and seemingly had no compunction about shortening the lives of patients who were suffering in the last hours of their lives with a dose of ‘morphia�. But this last chapter was interminable and boring, and to be honest I skipped over most of it.
The rest of the book was fascinating and un-put-downable.
June 23, 2024
I found this book in my grandfather's library.
The author, Axel Munthe, has a biography. He is Swedish, studied medicine in Paris, and practiced in different cities. He visits Italy, and on the island of Capri, the small church of San Michele, which he acquires, makes it his home and vacation spot. It's an excellent novel, a bit long for my taste, but I had to read it as a tribute to my grandfather.
The author, Axel Munthe, has a biography. He is Swedish, studied medicine in Paris, and practiced in different cities. He visits Italy, and on the island of Capri, the small church of San Michele, which he acquires, makes it his home and vacation spot. It's an excellent novel, a bit long for my taste, but I had to read it as a tribute to my grandfather.
May 20, 2023
I first read The Story of San Michele when I was in my twenties, but recently re-read it in preparation for a holiday that included a visit to the villa. Having now visited, I can better understand why Axel Munthe felt so passionately about the location.
The book is extremely well-known but if you haven’t come across it before, it’s made up of passages from the life of the author. Axel Munthe, (1857-1949), was a Swedish doctor of Flemish descent, and one aspect of his rich and varied life story involved purchasing a ruined building on the island of Capri, where he built what is today known as the Villa San Michele.
I remembered the book as being entertaining even though the author was egotistical. Both impressions were reinforced in my re-read. I suppose writing a memoir is by its nature an egotistical act, but Munthe comes across as a man with stratospheric levels of self-esteem. Humblebragging is his speciality, with lots of comments along the lines of “I saved the life of X, but I just got lucky�, or “Whilst I performed such and such a rescue, others did far more�. You get the idea. In addition, he seems to have been extremely opinionated and more than a bit selfish in his personal life (though not in his professional life).
BUT, the book is extremely entertaining. Munthe led a pretty extraordinary life. Large parts of it aren’t even mentioned in here, or barely so. He married into the British aristocracy but his wife and children in England are not mentioned in the book (it’s possible of course, that his wife preferred it that way). He was a doctor in the French Army during WW1 but that is only mentioned in passing. Most of the book relates episodes from Munthe’s life as a fashionable doctor in Paris or from his time in Capri, where he vividly describes the community of Anacapri where he lived. There are a couple of chapters describing visits back to Sweden, including one to Swedish Lappland. He also describes some of his famous patients/friends, who included Henry James, Guy de Maupassant, and the Queen of Sweden. The last apparently used to spend 3 months of each year in Capri, on Munthe’s recommendation. When I first read the book 30-odd years ago, I don’t think I knew who James and Maupassant were.
Munthe used the money earned from his wealthy customers to provide free medical services to the poorest people in Paris, and in one chapter he travels to Naples in 1884 to volunteer his services during a cholera epidemic. The description of this epidemic, and of the conditions in Naples at the time, are beyond horrifying. In complete contrast, parts of the book include fantastical elements where Munthe has conversations with ghosts and goblins, as well as various visions. I can’t tell whether he is being serious in describing these encounters. He says he is.
As you will have gathered, it’s hard to categorise this book. Many people love it, but some hate it.
I’ll probably have a bit of a run on Italian-themed books, following my recent trip.
The book is extremely well-known but if you haven’t come across it before, it’s made up of passages from the life of the author. Axel Munthe, (1857-1949), was a Swedish doctor of Flemish descent, and one aspect of his rich and varied life story involved purchasing a ruined building on the island of Capri, where he built what is today known as the Villa San Michele.
I remembered the book as being entertaining even though the author was egotistical. Both impressions were reinforced in my re-read. I suppose writing a memoir is by its nature an egotistical act, but Munthe comes across as a man with stratospheric levels of self-esteem. Humblebragging is his speciality, with lots of comments along the lines of “I saved the life of X, but I just got lucky�, or “Whilst I performed such and such a rescue, others did far more�. You get the idea. In addition, he seems to have been extremely opinionated and more than a bit selfish in his personal life (though not in his professional life).
BUT, the book is extremely entertaining. Munthe led a pretty extraordinary life. Large parts of it aren’t even mentioned in here, or barely so. He married into the British aristocracy but his wife and children in England are not mentioned in the book (it’s possible of course, that his wife preferred it that way). He was a doctor in the French Army during WW1 but that is only mentioned in passing. Most of the book relates episodes from Munthe’s life as a fashionable doctor in Paris or from his time in Capri, where he vividly describes the community of Anacapri where he lived. There are a couple of chapters describing visits back to Sweden, including one to Swedish Lappland. He also describes some of his famous patients/friends, who included Henry James, Guy de Maupassant, and the Queen of Sweden. The last apparently used to spend 3 months of each year in Capri, on Munthe’s recommendation. When I first read the book 30-odd years ago, I don’t think I knew who James and Maupassant were.
Munthe used the money earned from his wealthy customers to provide free medical services to the poorest people in Paris, and in one chapter he travels to Naples in 1884 to volunteer his services during a cholera epidemic. The description of this epidemic, and of the conditions in Naples at the time, are beyond horrifying. In complete contrast, parts of the book include fantastical elements where Munthe has conversations with ghosts and goblins, as well as various visions. I can’t tell whether he is being serious in describing these encounters. He says he is.
As you will have gathered, it’s hard to categorise this book. Many people love it, but some hate it.
I’ll probably have a bit of a run on Italian-themed books, following my recent trip.
May 27, 2023
The Story of San Michele by Axel Munthe is a page-turner for me. The plot is about a doctor's life and his work as a doctor with wealthy patients. Also, I was drawn to the doctor's dreams about his residency home in San Michele with an Egyptian bust.
It is an interesting and fun book that can inspire generations.
It is an interesting and fun book that can inspire generations.
April 13, 2021
Prisimenu tuos tolimus laikus, t.y., apytikriai 10-12 klases, kuomet Miuntės "Knyga apie San Mikelę" buvo privalomosios mokyklinės literatūros sąraše. Taip pat dar prisimenu, kad aš sąžiningai šią knygą perskaičiau nuo pradžios iki galo. Todėl man tuo labiau keista, kad tai ir yra visiškai vieninteliai dalykai, kuriuos aš prisimenu iš to pirmojo skaitymo. Antra vertus, kadangi per visą antrojo skaitymo periodą taip nei karto mano smegeninėje jokios sinapsės neatliko jungties, jokios lemputės virš galvos neužsidegė ir jokie skambučiai nesuskambėjo, tai buvo tas pats, kas absoliučiai naujos knygos skaitymas. Na ir ką - ta knyga visai nebloga.
Tiesa, priekabių aš jai turiu. Pats pirmas, svarbiausias (ir tuo pačiu keisčiausias) pabumbėjimas būtų toks, kad knygoje apie San Mikelę buvo per daug visko, kas ne San Mikele ir per mažai pačios San Mikeles, Kaprio, Anakaprio ir t.t. Galbūt čia manyje dabar turistas prabudo, bet nu kamon, turit sutikti su manimi. Jei aš, pvz., dėl nežinomos ir sveiku protu nepaaiškinamos priežasties sugalvočiau ir imčiau rašyti knygą apie Gitaną Nausėdą ir iš 300 knygos puslapių Nausėdai būtų skirta kokie 42 puslapiai, tai A) visi džiaugtųsi nieko daug nepraradę ir gavę 258 puslapius gero turinio; bet B) vistiek sakytų kad knyga čia, laimei, ne visai apie Nausėdą. Tas pats ir su San Mikele. Aš suprantu, kad čia labiau tiesiog daktaro memuarai, bet nu jei jau man pažadėta, kad knyga bus apie San Mikelę, tai aš ir norėčiau gauti tai, kas man pažadėta, vo.
Antra priekabė, tiesiogiai išplaukianti iš tos dalies apie "daktaro memuarus", bus gal ne visai fair paties Munthes atžvilgiu, nes jis už tai nėra ir niekaip negali būti atsakingas. Problema yra tame, kad skaitant senesnes knygas aš niekaip negaliu išjungti savyje to XXI amžiaus bičo su smartfonu, intensyviu 12-os klasių vidurinės mokyklos kursu ir informaciniu perteklium faktiškai bet kurioje įmanomoje srityje. Ir tuomet mane pradeda imti pyktis dėl to, kad tas ano meto mastais imant labai kietas daktaras pagal savo žinias ir sugebėjimus dabar į vienus vartus gautų nuo antrakursio galiorkininko. Tai, kaip ir sakiau, Munthe čia ne prie ko, bet kai skaitau, kaip chebra tūkstančiais linksta nuo choleros dėl to, kad prieš gerdami vandenį jo nepavirina, nu pikta ir taškas.
Munthe pats atrodo toks visai nieko bičas. Galvotas, modernus, myli gyvūnus. Tai vat karts nuo karto išlendančios švelnios mizoginijos apraiškos dėl to atrodo tik dar keistesnės. Bet iš dainos žodžių neišmesi, o knygoj ne kas kitas, kaip pats Axelis išstodavo šiomis temomis kai galėjo ir mandagiai patylėti.
Bet šiaip, neskaitant šių gan smulkių priekabių, knyga man patiko. Čia ir juokingų, kartais net ant absurdo ribos balansuojančių istorijų ir nutikimų rasite, ir neįtikėtinų kvailų istorijų iš daktaro priimamojo, ir gamtos, ir apskritai - labai gerai išlaikytas balansas. Nei knyga per rimta, nei per juokinga. Pakankamai asmeninių memuarų, bet vietos randa ir istoriniai faktai. Nuoseklumo galbūt galėtų būti ir daugiau, bet apskritai - solidi knyga. 7/10 būtų tobulas pažymys, o GR sistemoj tenka apvalinti iki 4*.
Tiesa, priekabių aš jai turiu. Pats pirmas, svarbiausias (ir tuo pačiu keisčiausias) pabumbėjimas būtų toks, kad knygoje apie San Mikelę buvo per daug visko, kas ne San Mikele ir per mažai pačios San Mikeles, Kaprio, Anakaprio ir t.t. Galbūt čia manyje dabar turistas prabudo, bet nu kamon, turit sutikti su manimi. Jei aš, pvz., dėl nežinomos ir sveiku protu nepaaiškinamos priežasties sugalvočiau ir imčiau rašyti knygą apie Gitaną Nausėdą ir iš 300 knygos puslapių Nausėdai būtų skirta kokie 42 puslapiai, tai A) visi džiaugtųsi nieko daug nepraradę ir gavę 258 puslapius gero turinio; bet B) vistiek sakytų kad knyga čia, laimei, ne visai apie Nausėdą. Tas pats ir su San Mikele. Aš suprantu, kad čia labiau tiesiog daktaro memuarai, bet nu jei jau man pažadėta, kad knyga bus apie San Mikelę, tai aš ir norėčiau gauti tai, kas man pažadėta, vo.
Antra priekabė, tiesiogiai išplaukianti iš tos dalies apie "daktaro memuarus", bus gal ne visai fair paties Munthes atžvilgiu, nes jis už tai nėra ir niekaip negali būti atsakingas. Problema yra tame, kad skaitant senesnes knygas aš niekaip negaliu išjungti savyje to XXI amžiaus bičo su smartfonu, intensyviu 12-os klasių vidurinės mokyklos kursu ir informaciniu perteklium faktiškai bet kurioje įmanomoje srityje. Ir tuomet mane pradeda imti pyktis dėl to, kad tas ano meto mastais imant labai kietas daktaras pagal savo žinias ir sugebėjimus dabar į vienus vartus gautų nuo antrakursio galiorkininko. Tai, kaip ir sakiau, Munthe čia ne prie ko, bet kai skaitau, kaip chebra tūkstančiais linksta nuo choleros dėl to, kad prieš gerdami vandenį jo nepavirina, nu pikta ir taškas.
Munthe pats atrodo toks visai nieko bičas. Galvotas, modernus, myli gyvūnus. Tai vat karts nuo karto išlendančios švelnios mizoginijos apraiškos dėl to atrodo tik dar keistesnės. Bet iš dainos žodžių neišmesi, o knygoj ne kas kitas, kaip pats Axelis išstodavo šiomis temomis kai galėjo ir mandagiai patylėti.
Bet šiaip, neskaitant šių gan smulkių priekabių, knyga man patiko. Čia ir juokingų, kartais net ant absurdo ribos balansuojančių istorijų ir nutikimų rasite, ir neįtikėtinų kvailų istorijų iš daktaro priimamojo, ir gamtos, ir apskritai - labai gerai išlaikytas balansas. Nei knyga per rimta, nei per juokinga. Pakankamai asmeninių memuarų, bet vietos randa ir istoriniai faktai. Nuoseklumo galbūt galėtų būti ir daugiau, bet apskritai - solidi knyga. 7/10 būtų tobulas pažymys, o GR sistemoj tenka apvalinti iki 4*.
January 10, 2023
4,5/5
Yra knygų, kurios užburia, nors gan paprastos. Man tokios � "Madisono apygardos tiltai", "Senis ir jūra", o iš jaunystės laikų liko atminty F. Sagan "Sveikas, liūdesy!". "Knyga apie San Mikelę" � ne visai tokia, ji iškart gali net nepatikti, bet prie jos norima grįžti. Taip atsitiko ir man � skaičiau du kartus. O kai tam tikra nuotaika � atsiverčiu vėl...
Gyvenimas ir mirtis � amžinos temos, bet tiek daug empatijos retoje knygoje galima rasti. Autorius tiesmukiškai nedeklaruoja, bet skaitytojas suvokia � jis labai myli žmones. Ir ne tik. Myli ir gyvūnus, myli aplinką. Tikras daktaras. Knyga kupina gerumo, nuoširdumo; yra joje šiek tiek humoro (kartais graudoko). Jei sugebi patikėti, kad ir didžiausioje bėdoje yra teigiamų dalykų, kad net mirtis gali būti nebaisi � šios knygos jau nepamirši.
Gal per daug vietos skirta aplinkai, gamtos aprašymams, kai kam gali nepatikti mistiniai fragmentai. Tie skaitytojai, kurie mėgsta, kad knygoje būtų daug veiksmo, irgi gali šiek tiek nusivilti. Ši knyga tiems, kurie mėgsta atsigulti ant žoles ir visai nieko negalvoti, tiktai klausyti, o suvokę, kad girdi, būna laimingi.
"Kuriam galui krauti pinigus, jei vis tiek reikės jų netekti? Mirtis turi antrą raktą nuo jūsų pinigų skrynios. Dievai visas gėrybes parduoda tikrąja kaina, o pačias verčiausias jie parduoda pigiausiai. Viskas, kas mums tikrai naudinga � nebrangu; tik už tai, be ko galima apsieiti, mokam didelius pinigus. Kas tikrai gražu � išvis neparduodama; visa tai nemirtingieji dievai duoda mums veltui. Nemokamai galima gėrėtis saulėtekiais ir saulėlydžiais, danguje plaukiančiais debesėliais, giriomis ir laukais, nuostabia jūra. Dykai mums čiulba paukščiai, veltui galime prisiskinti pakelėj lauko gėlių ir įeiti į žvaigždėtą Nakties menę."
Yra knygų, kurios užburia, nors gan paprastos. Man tokios � "Madisono apygardos tiltai", "Senis ir jūra", o iš jaunystės laikų liko atminty F. Sagan "Sveikas, liūdesy!". "Knyga apie San Mikelę" � ne visai tokia, ji iškart gali net nepatikti, bet prie jos norima grįžti. Taip atsitiko ir man � skaičiau du kartus. O kai tam tikra nuotaika � atsiverčiu vėl...
Gyvenimas ir mirtis � amžinos temos, bet tiek daug empatijos retoje knygoje galima rasti. Autorius tiesmukiškai nedeklaruoja, bet skaitytojas suvokia � jis labai myli žmones. Ir ne tik. Myli ir gyvūnus, myli aplinką. Tikras daktaras. Knyga kupina gerumo, nuoširdumo; yra joje šiek tiek humoro (kartais graudoko). Jei sugebi patikėti, kad ir didžiausioje bėdoje yra teigiamų dalykų, kad net mirtis gali būti nebaisi � šios knygos jau nepamirši.
Gal per daug vietos skirta aplinkai, gamtos aprašymams, kai kam gali nepatikti mistiniai fragmentai. Tie skaitytojai, kurie mėgsta, kad knygoje būtų daug veiksmo, irgi gali šiek tiek nusivilti. Ši knyga tiems, kurie mėgsta atsigulti ant žoles ir visai nieko negalvoti, tiktai klausyti, o suvokę, kad girdi, būna laimingi.
"Kuriam galui krauti pinigus, jei vis tiek reikės jų netekti? Mirtis turi antrą raktą nuo jūsų pinigų skrynios. Dievai visas gėrybes parduoda tikrąja kaina, o pačias verčiausias jie parduoda pigiausiai. Viskas, kas mums tikrai naudinga � nebrangu; tik už tai, be ko galima apsieiti, mokam didelius pinigus. Kas tikrai gražu � išvis neparduodama; visa tai nemirtingieji dievai duoda mums veltui. Nemokamai galima gėrėtis saulėtekiais ir saulėlydžiais, danguje plaukiančiais debesėliais, giriomis ir laukais, nuostabia jūra. Dykai mums čiulba paukščiai, veltui galime prisiskinti pakelėj lauko gėlių ir įeiti į žvaigždėtą Nakties menę."
November 2, 2013
The author was Swedish, born in 1857 and studied medicine in Paris at an early age. I do not know how he looked like, he has no photo in this autobiographical book, but he did mention here a few times that he has blue eyes. He was probably good-looking because the rich and the royalties during his time, most of them women, flocked to him for their real and imagined illnesses.
The blurb says that he was Tsar Nicholas's first choice as doctor for his ailing, only son (Rasputin only came to the picture later) but this isn't mentioned in the book itself. I think, though, that he did mention Maupassant as a patient and in the preface to the first edition he pointed out that it was the writer Henry James who had urged him to write this memoir.
San Michele was a villa in the island of Capri (Italy) which was where the Roman emperor Tiberius retired. That's the one in the book's cover, the shot taken from Mount Barbarossa. Axel Munthe cleaned and repaired it as his residence, finding old Roman relics like coins, statues and even two well-preserved dead monks in the process of doing so.
He wrote with light-hearted humor, giving the impression of a person with a happy disposition, yet he seemed to have been constantly preoccupied with death and his own mortality, probably because he had seen a lot of deaths and of so many kinds, during his work in hospitals and his many heroic battles against plagues, epidemics and one mass death during a massive natural disaster (a great earthquake in Italy, if I remember correctly).
His imagined conversations with Death here are among the best I've read.
I kept thinking, though, that he must be gay. Despite his fame, and irresistible charm to women, not once did he even hint of any love affair, never married, woud often choose a beautiful piece of clothing instead of money as his professional fee, and he did profess (half-jokingly perhaps) that he love animals more than human beings, wishing that dead animals likewise go to heaven. But what do I care whom or what he had loved? It is enough that he wrote beautifully and can still make people, whose parents were not even born yet when this book came out, laugh.
This became an instant international bestseller after its first publication in 1929 and has been translated into more than 30 languages. Until I saw a solitary copy in my favorite bookstore, I had never heard about it before. A forgotten classic. My true rating is 4 stars, but I added 1 star more--a little push, to promote this wonderful book better.
The blurb says that he was Tsar Nicholas's first choice as doctor for his ailing, only son (Rasputin only came to the picture later) but this isn't mentioned in the book itself. I think, though, that he did mention Maupassant as a patient and in the preface to the first edition he pointed out that it was the writer Henry James who had urged him to write this memoir.
San Michele was a villa in the island of Capri (Italy) which was where the Roman emperor Tiberius retired. That's the one in the book's cover, the shot taken from Mount Barbarossa. Axel Munthe cleaned and repaired it as his residence, finding old Roman relics like coins, statues and even two well-preserved dead monks in the process of doing so.
He wrote with light-hearted humor, giving the impression of a person with a happy disposition, yet he seemed to have been constantly preoccupied with death and his own mortality, probably because he had seen a lot of deaths and of so many kinds, during his work in hospitals and his many heroic battles against plagues, epidemics and one mass death during a massive natural disaster (a great earthquake in Italy, if I remember correctly).
His imagined conversations with Death here are among the best I've read.
I kept thinking, though, that he must be gay. Despite his fame, and irresistible charm to women, not once did he even hint of any love affair, never married, woud often choose a beautiful piece of clothing instead of money as his professional fee, and he did profess (half-jokingly perhaps) that he love animals more than human beings, wishing that dead animals likewise go to heaven. But what do I care whom or what he had loved? It is enough that he wrote beautifully and can still make people, whose parents were not even born yet when this book came out, laugh.
This became an instant international bestseller after its first publication in 1929 and has been translated into more than 30 languages. Until I saw a solitary copy in my favorite bookstore, I had never heard about it before. A forgotten classic. My true rating is 4 stars, but I added 1 star more--a little push, to promote this wonderful book better.
December 27, 2020
How to begin describing this absorbing and sensational book? I keep returning to it down the years. It was given to me by a dear friend, an elderly church minister who said it was his favourite book, and this was how I came to it.
When I first read it, it was as if my eyes were popping out of my head at almost every page. Who could have made this lot up as material for a novel? My eyes popped out even further when I discovered that it is an autobiography!
Axel Munthe was a Swedish doctor, born in 1857, whose life’s mission was to restore the chapel of San Michele in Anacapri (see the front cover). He earned the money to do it in Paris and Rome, his patients alternating between the highest (and richest) and the very poorest, as he went about the slums of these cities, Naples in time of plague, and in the ruins of Messina hit by earthquake, where he had a hair-raising encounter and a narrow escape. Indeed the business of his life, and the bane of it, is Death; the personification of Death is his constant companion, and his obsession. However all Munthe’s writing is borne up by his wit and perception, swiftly brilliant on every page, in adventure or in observation.
His work among the rich patients was mainly as a ‘nerves� specialist for what he calls “hysterical� women. Hysteria as a phenomenon was the fascination of the age, and Axel Munthe studied under the famous (or infamous) Charcot. One of the most moving stories in the book is when he meets two peasants, parents of a young girl whom they believe to be working in the kitchens of Charcot’s “Salpêtrière�, with its public demonstrations or ‘shows� of hysteria induced or controlled by hypnotism. The parents have come to take their daughter home to help them work the farm in their old age. I won’t spoil the story but I did wonder on first reading this was not meant to be taken literally, but as a pictorially effective, representational tale; then, as I read on, I realised that it had to be true, as Dr Munthe reveals his own ethically reprehensible role as a doctor in the story, and its results.
The book is full of astounding leaps between the harsh reality of life and death, and the author’s glorious vision, and experience, of San Michele, a former villa of the Emperor Tiberius. Interspersed with this are chapters situated wherever Munthe’s circumstances led him. There is an almost mystical account of a trip to Lapland, which delves deep into ancient traditions and beliefs, in the most fantastic settings, which reminded me of Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Snow Queen�, when the Lapp woman appears like Mother Earth in a landscape of ice and fatality. There is yet more, in Switzerland, that made me convinced Munthe was either boastful or unbelievably gifted; but I can see now it was the latter.
Throughout his life, and increasingly in his later years, he is wracked by agony over the treatment of animals by human beings, and particularly by the killing of birds for the French table. I won’t spoil the end of the book, but after what seem superhuman efforts to prevent, or mitigate, this, it is this aspect of his consciousness that dominates the closing pages of the book. The last chapter is both heart-wrenching and visionary. The vehicle for it is the traditional nineteenth-century framework of Christian teaching on creation, life, sin and death � do persevere with this, it’s worth it for the final lines. And, throughout the chapter, there is the same humour and sharp observation as elsewhere, as when Munthe is told,
“It might have been better had He rested the day before He created Man instead of the day after�.
To some people this last section might detract from the book, a flaw, in its reliance on simplistic religious teaching as a writer’s tool. I think that this vision, or dream, vindicates Munthe’s life and being, his genius. One can see a flaw, a mark, only as damage, or a wound; but without it we would not see, compelling, dazzling, blinding, the blaze of light above San Michele.
When I first read it, it was as if my eyes were popping out of my head at almost every page. Who could have made this lot up as material for a novel? My eyes popped out even further when I discovered that it is an autobiography!
Axel Munthe was a Swedish doctor, born in 1857, whose life’s mission was to restore the chapel of San Michele in Anacapri (see the front cover). He earned the money to do it in Paris and Rome, his patients alternating between the highest (and richest) and the very poorest, as he went about the slums of these cities, Naples in time of plague, and in the ruins of Messina hit by earthquake, where he had a hair-raising encounter and a narrow escape. Indeed the business of his life, and the bane of it, is Death; the personification of Death is his constant companion, and his obsession. However all Munthe’s writing is borne up by his wit and perception, swiftly brilliant on every page, in adventure or in observation.
His work among the rich patients was mainly as a ‘nerves� specialist for what he calls “hysterical� women. Hysteria as a phenomenon was the fascination of the age, and Axel Munthe studied under the famous (or infamous) Charcot. One of the most moving stories in the book is when he meets two peasants, parents of a young girl whom they believe to be working in the kitchens of Charcot’s “Salpêtrière�, with its public demonstrations or ‘shows� of hysteria induced or controlled by hypnotism. The parents have come to take their daughter home to help them work the farm in their old age. I won’t spoil the story but I did wonder on first reading this was not meant to be taken literally, but as a pictorially effective, representational tale; then, as I read on, I realised that it had to be true, as Dr Munthe reveals his own ethically reprehensible role as a doctor in the story, and its results.
The book is full of astounding leaps between the harsh reality of life and death, and the author’s glorious vision, and experience, of San Michele, a former villa of the Emperor Tiberius. Interspersed with this are chapters situated wherever Munthe’s circumstances led him. There is an almost mystical account of a trip to Lapland, which delves deep into ancient traditions and beliefs, in the most fantastic settings, which reminded me of Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Snow Queen�, when the Lapp woman appears like Mother Earth in a landscape of ice and fatality. There is yet more, in Switzerland, that made me convinced Munthe was either boastful or unbelievably gifted; but I can see now it was the latter.
Throughout his life, and increasingly in his later years, he is wracked by agony over the treatment of animals by human beings, and particularly by the killing of birds for the French table. I won’t spoil the end of the book, but after what seem superhuman efforts to prevent, or mitigate, this, it is this aspect of his consciousness that dominates the closing pages of the book. The last chapter is both heart-wrenching and visionary. The vehicle for it is the traditional nineteenth-century framework of Christian teaching on creation, life, sin and death � do persevere with this, it’s worth it for the final lines. And, throughout the chapter, there is the same humour and sharp observation as elsewhere, as when Munthe is told,
“It might have been better had He rested the day before He created Man instead of the day after�.
To some people this last section might detract from the book, a flaw, in its reliance on simplistic religious teaching as a writer’s tool. I think that this vision, or dream, vindicates Munthe’s life and being, his genius. One can see a flaw, a mark, only as damage, or a wound; but without it we would not see, compelling, dazzling, blinding, the blaze of light above San Michele.
December 11, 2022
Axel Munthe was a fashionable doctor, an exellent writer, an adventurer, a restless risk-taker and a true humanist obsessed with Death. His semi-fictional memoir 'The Story of San Michele' radiates so much love, kindness and empathy towards those who need it most; the sick and the poor, as well as helpless animals. It is also a book that teaches you to pursue your dreams and love life. It is one of those books that can keep you warm even on the coldest winter day.
July 12, 2017
Silta, mīļa, jauka, gudra grāmata. Man ļoti patika.
September 23, 2022
Kaip gaila, kad neskaičiau jos anksčiau. Puiki knyga perteikianti XIX - XX a. aukštuomenės gyvenimą, jo absurdiškumą, tuometines gydytojo praktikas.
Nors kartais knygoje rašoma apie sunkius dalykus, bet ją skaitant, atsiranda tas puikiai pažįstamas "geros jausenos" jausmas.
Labai rekomenduoju visiems, kas dar neskaitė. Duokit savo paaugliško amžiaus vaikams, dovanokit jauniems suaugėliams. Visai įkvepia siekt savų tikslų!
Nors kartais knygoje rašoma apie sunkius dalykus, bet ją skaitant, atsiranda tas puikiai pažįstamas "geros jausenos" jausmas.
Labai rekomenduoju visiems, kas dar neskaitė. Duokit savo paaugliško amžiaus vaikams, dovanokit jauniems suaugėliams. Visai įkvepia siekt savų tikslų!
September 16, 2020
Maybe the best book I read this year.
November 3, 2016
A stunningly individual book - a glimpse into another time, through fascinating eyes. In some ways, it feels very ahead-of-its-time, the playfulness of the narrator/author presaging postmodern concerns.
The flaw is that Munthe - while capable of some truly beautiful sentences - is not a novelist, nor even a prose writer, and is not writing in his first (nor, if I recall correctly, even second or third) language. As a result, from top to bottom this feels like the work of an amateur, lacking sophistication in prose construction and in structure, and with a bad ear for dialogue. If it weren't for this, it would be a brilliant book. Even so, we do get something in return: authenticity. It may be dishonest and/or misleading authenticity, but this is the voice of a man who is relating just some of his extraordinary experiences. And, as I say, he may lack experience and technique, but he does at time have a master ear for beautiful words. This is a big part of why I found myself crying at several points through the book (although of course the sheer amount of tragedy contained in its pages is a big part of that)
It may be largely forgotten today, but it's one of the most-read books of the 20th century, and fully deserves to be read even more. I think it's a wonderful book.
The flaw is that Munthe - while capable of some truly beautiful sentences - is not a novelist, nor even a prose writer, and is not writing in his first (nor, if I recall correctly, even second or third) language. As a result, from top to bottom this feels like the work of an amateur, lacking sophistication in prose construction and in structure, and with a bad ear for dialogue. If it weren't for this, it would be a brilliant book. Even so, we do get something in return: authenticity. It may be dishonest and/or misleading authenticity, but this is the voice of a man who is relating just some of his extraordinary experiences. And, as I say, he may lack experience and technique, but he does at time have a master ear for beautiful words. This is a big part of why I found myself crying at several points through the book (although of course the sheer amount of tragedy contained in its pages is a big part of that)
It may be largely forgotten today, but it's one of the most-read books of the 20th century, and fully deserves to be read even more. I think it's a wonderful book.
February 27, 2018
Nuostabiai pradėjau, daug tikėjausi, daug gavau. Kartais norisi pailsėti nuo sakinių grožio, metaforų ir skaityti paprastą tekstą. Man San Mikelė skaitėsi labai paprastai, supratau daktaro veiksmus, jo mąstymą, kad visos problemos slypi viduje, o jei yra didelės fizinės kančios - jas nedelsiant reikia malšinti. Be proto gražus žmogaus ryšys su gamta ir gyvūnais, pagarba viskam, kas supa aplink. Autorius man pasirodė didis eruditas, daug išmanantis apie meną, kalbas, kultūras. Axel Munthe regis prisitaikė prie visų gyvenime pasitaikiusių žmonių, miestų, bet tuo pačiu ir jiems davė daug, keitė juos.
TAČIAU... Paskutinis skyrius mane pribloškė. Jaučiausi kaip sėdėčiau prie mirštančio rašytojo lovos ir jam nebegalint pačiam rašyti, konspektavau jo klaikius kliedesius. Užverčiau knygą ir pažadėjau sau, kad atsiminsiu viską, grožėsiuos viskuo, o paskutinį skyrių pamiršiu lyg jo nebuvę.
TAČIAU... Paskutinis skyrius mane pribloškė. Jaučiausi kaip sėdėčiau prie mirštančio rašytojo lovos ir jam nebegalint pačiam rašyti, konspektavau jo klaikius kliedesius. Užverčiau knygą ir pažadėjau sau, kad atsiminsiu viską, grožėsiuos viskuo, o paskutinį skyrių pamiršiu lyg jo nebuvę.
April 23, 2021
Žinai tą jausmą kai pamatai kažką labai įspudingo ar po kokio puikaus renginio išeini ir galvoji buvo taip gražu, kad net pasaulis kažkoks gražesnis atrodo ir tu geresnis jame nori būti... Tai taip ir su šia knyga - ji alsuoja gerumu 🤍
Joje rasi ir šmaikštumo ir liūdesio, daktaro istorijos labai įtraukiančios, o San Mikelės vila atrodo tikras rojus žemėje.
Joje rasi ir šmaikštumo ir liūdesio, daktaro istorijos labai įtraukiančios, o San Mikelės vila atrodo tikras rojus žemėje.
January 26, 2020
Gal laikas skaityti šią knygą buvo nekoks bet skaičiau su tokiu sunkumu ir man buvo be galo neįdomu! Tikiuosi kada nors paimti šią knygą iš naujo ir naujai ją atrasti.. Net nesugebėjau pabaigti paskutinių 100 puslapių, nes gaila laiko.
November 12, 2016
By chance and in complete ignorance I was lucky enough this summer to be taken to the precipitous Italian island of Capri, and upwards to the Villa San Michele. I learned of its architect and builder, the renowned Swedish physician and author, Axel Munthe (1857-1949).
The property itself is most notable for its construction on the site of the villa of the Emperor Tiberius; for the ancient unearthed relics thus incorporated into its fabric; and for its literally breathtaking views over the bay of Naples.
However, the title of Axel Munthe’s autobiography is somewhat misleading; only a few chapters are devoted to his life in lofty Anacapri.
While I found this a little disappointing, it is more than made up for by the extraordinary Dickensian snapshots he provides of his career as a fashionable doctor in Paris, Naples and Rome, as physician to the nobility, the new-moneyed rich, and the poorest of the poor.
He rubbed shoulders with the likes of Jean-Martin Charcot, Louis Pasteur, Guy de Maupassant and Henry James. He mixed with equal aplomb with prostitutes, priests and princes. He even survived a duel at dawn with one such aristocrat.
It is impossible to capture in a few words this wide-ranging work, elegantly written, fast moving, action packed, full of astounding facts and thought-provoking philosophy � oh, and, at times, lapses into dream and fantasy that are not always delineated from the rational text � but which curiously do not seem out of place.
Altogether, a fascinating book, an insight into a great life (and I use great in the Churchillian sense) written throughout with self-effacing modesty and a rather wicked turn of wit.
The property itself is most notable for its construction on the site of the villa of the Emperor Tiberius; for the ancient unearthed relics thus incorporated into its fabric; and for its literally breathtaking views over the bay of Naples.
However, the title of Axel Munthe’s autobiography is somewhat misleading; only a few chapters are devoted to his life in lofty Anacapri.
While I found this a little disappointing, it is more than made up for by the extraordinary Dickensian snapshots he provides of his career as a fashionable doctor in Paris, Naples and Rome, as physician to the nobility, the new-moneyed rich, and the poorest of the poor.
He rubbed shoulders with the likes of Jean-Martin Charcot, Louis Pasteur, Guy de Maupassant and Henry James. He mixed with equal aplomb with prostitutes, priests and princes. He even survived a duel at dawn with one such aristocrat.
It is impossible to capture in a few words this wide-ranging work, elegantly written, fast moving, action packed, full of astounding facts and thought-provoking philosophy � oh, and, at times, lapses into dream and fantasy that are not always delineated from the rational text � but which curiously do not seem out of place.
Altogether, a fascinating book, an insight into a great life (and I use great in the Churchillian sense) written throughout with self-effacing modesty and a rather wicked turn of wit.
September 23, 2019
לא סתם הספר הזה אשר יצא לאור בשנת 1929, היה אחד מרבי המכר הגדולים בארץ כשהודפס לראשונה בתרגום לעברית בשנת 1973. ספר שהוא קלסיקה. אני נהניתי ממקריאתו עד מאד אך לטובת בני הדור הצעיר אעיר כי הספר זקוק לתרגום עדכני שכן לדעתי יקשה על דור זה לצלוח אותו מחמת העברית הארכאית בו הוא תורגם.
June 25, 2020
Knyga įdomi gydytojo mintimis apie žmonių gydymą, šunų, bezdžionių ir kitų gyvūnų bendravimą su žmonėmis bei įžvalgomis apie laiko, gerų darbų prasmes.
August 5, 2021
“…what you keep to yourself you lose, what you give away you keep for ever.�
Мечтател, но от активните. От тези, които запретват ръкави, буквално, и изграждат, отново буквално, дома на мечтите си. Аксел Мунте � швед по произход, французин по образование, англичанин по паспорт, италианец по сърце, лекар, полиглот, ценител на античното и ренесансово изкуство, ревностен любител на животните, филантроп и вероятно много други неща, за които не знаем. От неговата романизирана биография (на български издадена като „Легенд� за Сан Микеле�) научаваме за живот, който днес, в нашия опитомен свят, би бил напълно невъзможен.
Да оцелееш след лавина в швейцарските Алпи или сред суровите ледове на Лапландия, да превозиш грешния труп от Хайделберг до Стокхолм, да положиш безвъзмездно усилия като лекар по време на епидемията от тиф в бедните парижки квартали или тази от холера в Неапол, да помагаш на Пастьор в разработването на серум против бяс, да си сред първите доброволци след земетресението в Месина или да служиш в Червения кръст по бойните полета на Първата световна война, да купиш планински връх, за да го превърнеш в убежище на прелетни птици, да лекуваш капризни богаташи, „болни� от хистерия, за да финансираш филантропските си начинания, да се осмелиш да наречеш методите на своя учител в медицината, великия Шарко от болница „Салпетриер�, лъже-наука � тези преживелици не изискват нищо по-малко от луд късмет, а след тях � заслужена почивка на райско място, с гледка към ослепително лазурните води на Неаполитанския залив, с каменната прохлада на дом, построен върху останки от параклис и римски развалини от времето на Тиберий, със семпла мебелировка, но за сметка на това разкошна градина, в която щастливо съжителстват всякакви породи кучета, срамежливи костенурки, любопитна мангуста, алкохолизиран бабуин и любвеобилен бухал.
Пъстра като живота на своя автор, „Историята на Сан Микеле� е светска и философска, мизантропска и жизнерадостна едновременно. За почитателите на Арчибалд Кронин книгата предлага неповторим поглед към лекарската професия и практика от края на 19 век - от хора, които изпълват тази дума с благородното съдържание, което й се полага, до абсолютните некадърници и шарлатани; от измислените диагнози на богатите безделници до истинската мизерия на живот, в ��ойто ужасяващо високата детска смъртност тепърва ще бъде овладяна чрез ваксините.
За англофилите, които без съмнение ще открият в лицето на шведа сродна душа � писал е книгата на английски, и то прекрасен английски, но с подчертано шведско конструиране на изреченията, с глагола преди подлога, което придава старомодна поетичност на езика.
За тези, които обичат доброто старо приключение, такова, каквото е било възможно за последно в края на 19 век � на ръба на закона, че и малко отвъд, защото добрата кауза си струва престъпването на една-две глупави формалности.
И накрая, за търсачите на dolce vita � но онази, истинската, която храни тялото с хляб и прясно козе сирене, а душата със слънце и птичи песни, сред хора необразовани и заради това чисти, на място, в което Свети Антонио е в пряка конкуренция със Свети Констанцо в областта на чудесата, на читателя не му остава нищо друго, освен едно „capri diem� и насладата от една история, в която по изключение мечтите се сбъдват.
“…there is no better simulant for lost appetite than to watch a hungry man having his fill.�
“All that is really useful to us can be bought for little money, it is only the superfluous that is put up for sale at a high price…A few friends, a few books, indeed a very few, and a dog is all you need to have about you as long as you have yourself.�
“courage unassisted by luck bleeds to death unrewarded.�
“Happiness we can only find in ourselves, it is a waste of time to seek for it from others, few have any to spare. Sorrow we have to bear alone as best we can, it is not fair to try to shift it on others, be they men or women.�
Мечтател, но от активните. От тези, които запретват ръкави, буквално, и изграждат, отново буквално, дома на мечтите си. Аксел Мунте � швед по произход, французин по образование, англичанин по паспорт, италианец по сърце, лекар, полиглот, ценител на античното и ренесансово изкуство, ревностен любител на животните, филантроп и вероятно много други неща, за които не знаем. От неговата романизирана биография (на български издадена като „Легенд� за Сан Микеле�) научаваме за живот, който днес, в нашия опитомен свят, би бил напълно невъзможен.
Да оцелееш след лавина в швейцарските Алпи или сред суровите ледове на Лапландия, да превозиш грешния труп от Хайделберг до Стокхолм, да положиш безвъзмездно усилия като лекар по време на епидемията от тиф в бедните парижки квартали или тази от холера в Неапол, да помагаш на Пастьор в разработването на серум против бяс, да си сред първите доброволци след земетресението в Месина или да служиш в Червения кръст по бойните полета на Първата световна война, да купиш планински връх, за да го превърнеш в убежище на прелетни птици, да лекуваш капризни богаташи, „болни� от хистерия, за да финансираш филантропските си начинания, да се осмелиш да наречеш методите на своя учител в медицината, великия Шарко от болница „Салпетриер�, лъже-наука � тези преживелици не изискват нищо по-малко от луд късмет, а след тях � заслужена почивка на райско място, с гледка към ослепително лазурните води на Неаполитанския залив, с каменната прохлада на дом, построен върху останки от параклис и римски развалини от времето на Тиберий, със семпла мебелировка, но за сметка на това разкошна градина, в която щастливо съжителстват всякакви породи кучета, срамежливи костенурки, любопитна мангуста, алкохолизиран бабуин и любвеобилен бухал.
Пъстра като живота на своя автор, „Историята на Сан Микеле� е светска и философска, мизантропска и жизнерадостна едновременно. За почитателите на Арчибалд Кронин книгата предлага неповторим поглед към лекарската професия и практика от края на 19 век - от хора, които изпълват тази дума с благородното съдържание, което й се полага, до абсолютните некадърници и шарлатани; от измислените диагнози на богатите безделници до истинската мизерия на живот, в ��ойто ужасяващо високата детска смъртност тепърва ще бъде овладяна чрез ваксините.
За англофилите, които без съмнение ще открият в лицето на шведа сродна душа � писал е книгата на английски, и то прекрасен английски, но с подчертано шведско конструиране на изреченията, с глагола преди подлога, което придава старомодна поетичност на езика.
За тези, които обичат доброто старо приключение, такова, каквото е било възможно за последно в края на 19 век � на ръба на закона, че и малко отвъд, защото добрата кауза си струва престъпването на една-две глупави формалности.
И накрая, за търсачите на dolce vita � но онази, истинската, която храни тялото с хляб и прясно козе сирене, а душата със слънце и птичи песни, сред хора необразовани и заради това чисти, на място, в което Свети Антонио е в пряка конкуренция със Свети Констанцо в областта на чудесата, на читателя не му остава нищо друго, освен едно „capri diem� и насладата от една история, в която по изключение мечтите се сбъдват.
“…there is no better simulant for lost appetite than to watch a hungry man having his fill.�
“All that is really useful to us can be bought for little money, it is only the superfluous that is put up for sale at a high price…A few friends, a few books, indeed a very few, and a dog is all you need to have about you as long as you have yourself.�
“courage unassisted by luck bleeds to death unrewarded.�
“Happiness we can only find in ourselves, it is a waste of time to seek for it from others, few have any to spare. Sorrow we have to bear alone as best we can, it is not fair to try to shift it on others, be they men or women.�
January 30, 2019
AXEL MUNTHE su sava KNYGA APIE SAN MIKELĘ. Koks tai keistas kūrinys. Kiek jis yra autobriografiškas, neatsakyčiau. Jeigu autorius bent dalimi nemelavo, tuomet jo gyvenimas buvo kupinas įdomybių, iššūkių, baimių, ryžto, drąsos, keistumo, apmąstymų, vienišumo, netikrumo ir kt. Jis nemelavo.
Filosofinis kūrinys. Jis pasirodė gilus ir įdomus, atrodo, savo paprastomis ir fundamentaliomis tiesiomis bei idėjomis, kurios pateiktos vis keistesniame kontekste. Kaip iš tam tikro burbulo išpučiamas kitas burbulas. Šiame kūrinyje man tai patiko labiausiai � krapštymasis link tos idėjos. O kur dar humaniškumas, kaip kūrinio vedamasis elementas!
Kalbant apie pačios istorijos pasakojimą, reikėjo laiko, kad galėčiau priprasti prie autoriaus rašymo stiliaus, nors skaitėsi lengvai. Sąžiningai domėjausi kiekviena išnaša, kuriomis norėta paaiškinti tekste minimus žodžius, žodžių junginius ir sakinius. Pradžiai turėjau skirti daug laiko, kad galėčiau sėkmingai įsivažiuoti. Tuomet skaitymas pasidarė kiek lengvesnis ir daug įdomesnis � užgriebtas tikrai nuotykingas jo gyvenimo tarpsnis. Bet, nežinau kaip Jums, tačiau paskutiniuosis puslapius (gal sakyčiau visas skyrius) dorojau ypatingai sunkiai. Kalba pasirodė padrika, keista, išskydusi ir be svorio tekstui.
Kiek šis kūrinys gali būti aktualus dabar, sunku atsakyti. Atrodo, kad daugelis dalykų jau yra padaryti, pasiekti, išgydyti, suprasti, paaiškinti ir savaime suprantami (nors tikiu, kad savaime suprantamų dalykų nėra). Netekus to, kūrinys tampa autoriaus dienoraščiu-prisiminimais bei gražia (bendrame kontekste) istorija prieš miegą. Prieš miegą suteikiama proga nukeliauti nuo vienos vietos prie kitos, nuo vieno laikmečio prie kito, nuo šmaikštaus prie graudaus, nuo tikroviško prie mistiško. Norėjau pasakyti, kad pasakojimas šokinėjantis, pagauna įvairi nuotaika.
Džiugu, kad perskaičiau KNYGĄ APIE SAN MIKELĘ. Ir džiaugiuosi, kad tai padariau būtent dabar, o ne anksčiau, kai tam nebuvo daug laiko. Kūrinys būtų mane erzinęs ir jį vertinti būtų jau pernelyg sudėtinga. Galvoje man kirba vieno žmogaus pasakyta mintis, kad klasika yra tai, kas sugeba atsilaikyti prieš laiką. Negalėčiau šio kūrinio priskirti prie sau klasikinių kūrinių, kadangi laiko tėkmės šis kūrinys, mano akimis, neatlaikė.
Rekomenduoju. Bent vieną kartą perskaityti, manau, naudinga ir reikalinga. O kiti kartai � Jūsų pačių malonumui išjausti, išgirsti, patirti ir paskęsti. O aš, tuo tarpu, artimiausią dešimtmetį jos neskaitysiu, bet karts nuo karto tikrai prisiminsiu.
Filosofinis kūrinys. Jis pasirodė gilus ir įdomus, atrodo, savo paprastomis ir fundamentaliomis tiesiomis bei idėjomis, kurios pateiktos vis keistesniame kontekste. Kaip iš tam tikro burbulo išpučiamas kitas burbulas. Šiame kūrinyje man tai patiko labiausiai � krapštymasis link tos idėjos. O kur dar humaniškumas, kaip kūrinio vedamasis elementas!
Kalbant apie pačios istorijos pasakojimą, reikėjo laiko, kad galėčiau priprasti prie autoriaus rašymo stiliaus, nors skaitėsi lengvai. Sąžiningai domėjausi kiekviena išnaša, kuriomis norėta paaiškinti tekste minimus žodžius, žodžių junginius ir sakinius. Pradžiai turėjau skirti daug laiko, kad galėčiau sėkmingai įsivažiuoti. Tuomet skaitymas pasidarė kiek lengvesnis ir daug įdomesnis � užgriebtas tikrai nuotykingas jo gyvenimo tarpsnis. Bet, nežinau kaip Jums, tačiau paskutiniuosis puslapius (gal sakyčiau visas skyrius) dorojau ypatingai sunkiai. Kalba pasirodė padrika, keista, išskydusi ir be svorio tekstui.
Kiek šis kūrinys gali būti aktualus dabar, sunku atsakyti. Atrodo, kad daugelis dalykų jau yra padaryti, pasiekti, išgydyti, suprasti, paaiškinti ir savaime suprantami (nors tikiu, kad savaime suprantamų dalykų nėra). Netekus to, kūrinys tampa autoriaus dienoraščiu-prisiminimais bei gražia (bendrame kontekste) istorija prieš miegą. Prieš miegą suteikiama proga nukeliauti nuo vienos vietos prie kitos, nuo vieno laikmečio prie kito, nuo šmaikštaus prie graudaus, nuo tikroviško prie mistiško. Norėjau pasakyti, kad pasakojimas šokinėjantis, pagauna įvairi nuotaika.
Džiugu, kad perskaičiau KNYGĄ APIE SAN MIKELĘ. Ir džiaugiuosi, kad tai padariau būtent dabar, o ne anksčiau, kai tam nebuvo daug laiko. Kūrinys būtų mane erzinęs ir jį vertinti būtų jau pernelyg sudėtinga. Galvoje man kirba vieno žmogaus pasakyta mintis, kad klasika yra tai, kas sugeba atsilaikyti prieš laiką. Negalėčiau šio kūrinio priskirti prie sau klasikinių kūrinių, kadangi laiko tėkmės šis kūrinys, mano akimis, neatlaikė.
Rekomenduoju. Bent vieną kartą perskaityti, manau, naudinga ir reikalinga. O kiti kartai � Jūsų pačių malonumui išjausti, išgirsti, patirti ir paskęsti. O aš, tuo tarpu, artimiausią dešimtmetį jos neskaitysiu, bet karts nuo karto tikrai prisiminsiu.
May 23, 2022
Autobiographie burlesque. Anarchique, le récit vole dans tous les sens, tragique, désopilant, agaçant, passionnant. Un médecin suédois peu ordinaire, devenu médecin très jeune, à Paris, exerçant ensuite dans cette ville, mais aussi en Suède, à Londres, à Rome et dans des coins perdus. Souvent médecin des riches, des nantis, des célébrités, mais aussi des plus pauvres, des prostituées. Pas orthodoxe du tout, ce médecin mécréant, à la limite du charlatanisme, mais il en est conscient, il en joue, il se joue de ses riches malades, leur raconte n'importe quoi quand ils n'ont rien et les guéris de leurs maux imaginaires de riches oisifs. Devenant généralement leur ami. Philosophe, hypnotiseur, défenseur de la femme et des animaux, affection particulière pour les chiens et les babouins. Il soigne les malades de la rage, intervient dans les tremblements de terre, voyage énormément, est insomniaque. Les animaux lui parlent de leurs misères, il a un cabinet à Rome parce qu'il faut bien gagner sa vie, pour entrenir sa folie des grandeurs: restaurer la ruine de San Michele, dans la montagne perdue. Un petit crochet en Laponie finlandaise, à la recherche des esprits qui vivent sous terre. Rien ne semble étrange à ce passionné de tout, ami du roi de Suède, détestant la violence, surtout celle infligée aux animaux, ça le rend quasi meutrier. Il ne sait pas manier le fusil ni le révolver mais accepte un duel au pistolet, contre un vicomte détestable et détesté, habitué des armes, et le laisse quasi mort d'une seule balle dans un poumon. "Un hasard", commente-t÷il. Et, comme il jouit d'une chance insolente, il se tire indemne du duel, juste son chapeau troué de part en part.
Mille autres aventures, véritables, imaginées, embellies, on ne le saura jamais. Souvent emprisonné, toujours inoccenté. Et comme il ne recule devant aucune outrance, pourquoi se priverait÷il de raconter sa mort et sa rencontre avec Saint-Pierre et d'autres saints aux portes du paradis auquel il ne croit pas?
Histoire dévoilée par ces quelques mots? Pas du tout, juste quelques anecdotes évoquées mais il y a mille autres histoires croustillantes et incroyables. Et des descriptions désopilantes des personnages les plus variés, mention spéciale pour une intendante infernale qui le rend fou, lui et même son chien.
Original. Très original, hors des codes de l'écriture classique de ce médecin-écrivain-bâtisseur-archéologue etc etc..
Mille autres aventures, véritables, imaginées, embellies, on ne le saura jamais. Souvent emprisonné, toujours inoccenté. Et comme il ne recule devant aucune outrance, pourquoi se priverait÷il de raconter sa mort et sa rencontre avec Saint-Pierre et d'autres saints aux portes du paradis auquel il ne croit pas?
Histoire dévoilée par ces quelques mots? Pas du tout, juste quelques anecdotes évoquées mais il y a mille autres histoires croustillantes et incroyables. Et des descriptions désopilantes des personnages les plus variés, mention spéciale pour une intendante infernale qui le rend fou, lui et même son chien.
Original. Très original, hors des codes de l'écriture classique de ce médecin-écrivain-bâtisseur-archéologue etc etc..
October 1, 2021
"Το χρονικό του Σαν Μικέλε", εκδόσεις Γιοβάνη, μετάφραση Άρη Δικταίου.
Ένα πραγματικά υπέροχο βιβλίο. Δεν ξέρω σε ποια κατηγορία ανήκει ακριβώς, αν είναι δηλαδή αυτοβιογραφία, απομνημονεύματα ενός γιατρού ή απλώς μια συλλογή από βινιέτες και μικρές ιστορίες που αναδεικνύουν έναν άλλο κόσμο, μια άλλη εποχή, ό,τι κι αν είναι, το μόνο σίγουρο είναι ότι με ενθουσίασε και ότι μου προσέφερε κάμποσες ώρες αναγνωστικής απόλαυσης. Είναι ένα βιβλίο γεμάτο εικόνες, συναισθήματα, κωμικοτραγικές καταστάσεις και ευτράπελα, μέσω του οποίου ταξιδεύουμε στον χώρο και τον χρόνο και γνωρίζουμε διάφορους ανθρώπους, φυσιολογικούς και μη. Το όλο χρονικό δεν αφορά μόνο τη ζωή και το έργο του Μούντε στο Σαν Μικέλε του Κάπρι, αλλά και διάφορες εμπειρίες του σαν γιατρός σε Παρίσι, Ρώμη, Σουηδία, Λαπωνία κλπ. Υπάρχουν στιγμές που ο Μούντε χαρίζει κάμποσο γέλιο με όλα αυτά που ζει, αλλά υπάρχουν και πολλές άλλες στιγμές που σου σπαράζει την καρδιά και σε κάνει να προβληματίζεσαι για την κοινωνία και τη ζωή γενικότερα. Από αυτά που διάβασα αριστερά και δεξιά στο ίντερνετ, αλλά κυρίως από αυτά που διάβασα στο συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο, κατάλαβα ότι ο Άξελ Μούντε ήταν ένας καταπληκτικός άνθρωπος με εξαιρετική μόρφωση και υπέροχη αίσθηση του χιούμορ, ένας φοβερός τύπος με μπόλικη τρέλα μέσα του, αλλά και με πολλή αγάπη για τους ανθρώπους και τα ζώα. Είναι πραγματικά κρίμα και άδικο που ένα τέτοιο βιβλίο δεν κυκλοφορεί στα βιβλιοπωλεία, αλλά πρέπει κανείς να φάει τη σκόνη της ζωής του στα παλαιοβιβλιοπωλεία, μπας και εντοπίσει μια παλιά έκδοσή του (κατά τη γνώμη μου, υπέροχη η μετάφραση του Άρη Δικταίου).
Ένα πραγματικά υπέροχο βιβλίο. Δεν ξέρω σε ποια κατηγορία ανήκει ακριβώς, αν είναι δηλαδή αυτοβιογραφία, απομνημονεύματα ενός γιατρού ή απλώς μια συλλογή από βινιέτες και μικρές ιστορίες που αναδεικνύουν έναν άλλο κόσμο, μια άλλη εποχή, ό,τι κι αν είναι, το μόνο σίγουρο είναι ότι με ενθουσίασε και ότι μου προσέφερε κάμποσες ώρες αναγνωστικής απόλαυσης. Είναι ένα βιβλίο γεμάτο εικόνες, συναισθήματα, κωμικοτραγικές καταστάσεις και ευτράπελα, μέσω του οποίου ταξιδεύουμε στον χώρο και τον χρόνο και γνωρίζουμε διάφορους ανθρώπους, φυσιολογικούς και μη. Το όλο χρονικό δεν αφορά μόνο τη ζωή και το έργο του Μούντε στο Σαν Μικέλε του Κάπρι, αλλά και διάφορες εμπειρίες του σαν γιατρός σε Παρίσι, Ρώμη, Σουηδία, Λαπωνία κλπ. Υπάρχουν στιγμές που ο Μούντε χαρίζει κάμποσο γέλιο με όλα αυτά που ζει, αλλά υπάρχουν και πολλές άλλες στιγμές που σου σπαράζει την καρδιά και σε κάνει να προβληματίζεσαι για την κοινωνία και τη ζωή γενικότερα. Από αυτά που διάβασα αριστερά και δεξιά στο ίντερνετ, αλλά κυρίως από αυτά που διάβασα στο συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο, κατάλαβα ότι ο Άξελ Μούντε ήταν ένας καταπληκτικός άνθρωπος με εξαιρετική μόρφωση και υπέροχη αίσθηση του χιούμορ, ένας φοβερός τύπος με μπόλικη τρέλα μέσα του, αλλά και με πολλή αγάπη για τους ανθρώπους και τα ζώα. Είναι πραγματικά κρίμα και άδικο που ένα τέτοιο βιβλίο δεν κυκλοφορεί στα βιβλιοπωλεία, αλλά πρέπει κανείς να φάει τη σκόνη της ζωής του στα παλαιοβιβλιοπωλεία, μπας και εντοπίσει μια παλιά έκδοσή του (κατά τη γνώμη μου, υπέροχη η μετάφραση του Άρη Δικταίου).
April 16, 2012
I read this great book about 30 or so years ago. Now that I have visited Axel Munthe's extraordinary Tiberian Villa in Capri I wanted to read it again.
It was worth a second reading. He has such a great way with story telling. The only disappointing element was the end chapter "In the old tower" where he rambles about death way too long.
He built his villa by hand. No architect, no permits, no coastal commission, no unions, & no inspectors. Ahh... those were the days!
Best quote:
"The house was small, the rooms were few but there were loggias, terraces and pergolas all around it to watch the sun, the sea and the clouds -
the soul needs more space than the body."
Anyone that would like to see what his Villa looks like....
log on to
and search for:
Villa S. Michele di Axel Munthe
It was worth a second reading. He has such a great way with story telling. The only disappointing element was the end chapter "In the old tower" where he rambles about death way too long.
He built his villa by hand. No architect, no permits, no coastal commission, no unions, & no inspectors. Ahh... those were the days!
Best quote:
"The house was small, the rooms were few but there were loggias, terraces and pergolas all around it to watch the sun, the sea and the clouds -
the soul needs more space than the body."
Anyone that would like to see what his Villa looks like....
log on to
and search for:
Villa S. Michele di Axel Munthe
July 19, 2022
Šī ir grāmatu grāmata! Humānisma filozofijas augstā dziesma!
Manai sirdij vistuvākās ir tās nodaļas, kas stāsta par Kapri: ievads, 1.nodaļa, 21.nodaļa un visas sākot ar 27.nodaļu.
Uzrunāja meklēt tālāk Asīzes Franciska un Svētās Klāras dzīvesstāstus. Un izlasīt Platona Fedo dialogu (Phaedo or On the Soul).
_ _ _ _
“No arhitektūras nekā nejēdzu ne es, ne mani palīgi, neviens rakstīt vai lasīt pratējs nebija jaucies mūsu darbā, nevienam arhitektam netika prasīts padoms, kārtīga rasējuma vai plāna nekad nav bijis, tāpat kā nav izdarīti nekādi precīzi mērījumi. Tas viss radās all’occhio, kā sacīja mastro Nikola� (21.nodaļa)
“Es gribu, lai mans nams ir atvērts saulei, vējam un jūras šalkoņai kā grieķu templis un gaismai, gaismai, vēlreiz gaismai!� (1.nodaļa)
Manai sirdij vistuvākās ir tās nodaļas, kas stāsta par Kapri: ievads, 1.nodaļa, 21.nodaļa un visas sākot ar 27.nodaļu.
Uzrunāja meklēt tālāk Asīzes Franciska un Svētās Klāras dzīvesstāstus. Un izlasīt Platona Fedo dialogu (Phaedo or On the Soul).
_ _ _ _
“No arhitektūras nekā nejēdzu ne es, ne mani palīgi, neviens rakstīt vai lasīt pratējs nebija jaucies mūsu darbā, nevienam arhitektam netika prasīts padoms, kārtīga rasējuma vai plāna nekad nav bijis, tāpat kā nav izdarīti nekādi precīzi mērījumi. Tas viss radās all’occhio, kā sacīja mastro Nikola� (21.nodaļa)
“Es gribu, lai mans nams ir atvērts saulei, vējam un jūras šalkoņai kā grieķu templis un gaismai, gaismai, vēlreiz gaismai!� (1.nodaļa)
December 22, 2021
Į favoritų skyrių!
April 27, 2015
“La mia casa è aperta al sole, alla luce ed agli amici�
"Chi ama gli animali ama anche le persone�, diceva mia nonna; sì, è vero, siamo tutti creature di Dio, condividiamo il passaggio su questa terra cercando di darci reciproco piacere, affetto e compagnia. So bene che è una visione eccessivamente ottimistica, che viene smentita ogni momento dalle peggiori nefandezze e crudeltà sugli animali, tuttavia dopo aver letto Axel Munthe non si può fare a meno di pensarlo.
Mi aspettavo di leggere un libro che parlasse di Capri, l’isola più bella del mondo il cui ricordo occupa un pezzetto del mio cuore che nulla potrà sostituire; ho trovato un libro che parla di uomini e animali, e di amore verso tutte le creature viventi. Il grande medico svedese vi narra episodi della sua esperienza di neurologo, non con finalità autobiografiche, ma raccontando di persone che ha incontrato, curato, alcune guarito, altre assistito fino alla morte, senza distinguere tra ricchi e poveri, da aristocratiche e nevrotiche signore inglesi e svedesi ai miseri malati di colera nei vicoli di Napoli, i terremotati di Messina ed i contadini e pescatori di Anacapri, tutti soccorsi grazie al suo spirito umanitario e guardati con occhi amorevoli. Accanto agli uomini, gli animali, tanto amati, sempre accanto a lui, da quando viveva a Parigi ed in Svezia, fino all’arrivo a Villa San Michele, un eremo di luce voluto e creato da Munthe con l’aiuto degli abitanti del villaggio: gli animali domestici, i tanti cani e gatti che riempivano i giardini della villa, il babbuino Billy, salvato da Munthe da un proprietario che lo faceva ubriacare, portato nell’isola ed accolto dagli abitanti con naturalezza, come un nuovo amico, ed ancora i tanti uccelli che riempivano il cielo dell’isola durante il lungo viaggio verso il nord fermandosi lì ad aspettare la primavera.
E poi c’� Capri, isola magica, da cui la storia comincia e in cui la storia finisce. Un lembo di terra scagliato in mezzo al golfo di Napoli, dominato dalla luce del sole così forte perchè si riflette sull’azzurro del mare, dove “si sente� la voce della natura: il sussurro del vento e le cicale che cantano tra i campi ingialliti, in lontananza il mare che si frange sugli scogli, i profumi dei fiori e del mare che si uniscono in una fragranza inimitabile da tecniche umane.
"Chi ama gli animali ama anche le persone�, diceva mia nonna; sì, è vero, siamo tutti creature di Dio, condividiamo il passaggio su questa terra cercando di darci reciproco piacere, affetto e compagnia. So bene che è una visione eccessivamente ottimistica, che viene smentita ogni momento dalle peggiori nefandezze e crudeltà sugli animali, tuttavia dopo aver letto Axel Munthe non si può fare a meno di pensarlo.
Mi aspettavo di leggere un libro che parlasse di Capri, l’isola più bella del mondo il cui ricordo occupa un pezzetto del mio cuore che nulla potrà sostituire; ho trovato un libro che parla di uomini e animali, e di amore verso tutte le creature viventi. Il grande medico svedese vi narra episodi della sua esperienza di neurologo, non con finalità autobiografiche, ma raccontando di persone che ha incontrato, curato, alcune guarito, altre assistito fino alla morte, senza distinguere tra ricchi e poveri, da aristocratiche e nevrotiche signore inglesi e svedesi ai miseri malati di colera nei vicoli di Napoli, i terremotati di Messina ed i contadini e pescatori di Anacapri, tutti soccorsi grazie al suo spirito umanitario e guardati con occhi amorevoli. Accanto agli uomini, gli animali, tanto amati, sempre accanto a lui, da quando viveva a Parigi ed in Svezia, fino all’arrivo a Villa San Michele, un eremo di luce voluto e creato da Munthe con l’aiuto degli abitanti del villaggio: gli animali domestici, i tanti cani e gatti che riempivano i giardini della villa, il babbuino Billy, salvato da Munthe da un proprietario che lo faceva ubriacare, portato nell’isola ed accolto dagli abitanti con naturalezza, come un nuovo amico, ed ancora i tanti uccelli che riempivano il cielo dell’isola durante il lungo viaggio verso il nord fermandosi lì ad aspettare la primavera.
E poi c’� Capri, isola magica, da cui la storia comincia e in cui la storia finisce. Un lembo di terra scagliato in mezzo al golfo di Napoli, dominato dalla luce del sole così forte perchè si riflette sull’azzurro del mare, dove “si sente� la voce della natura: il sussurro del vento e le cicale che cantano tra i campi ingialliti, in lontananza il mare che si frange sugli scogli, i profumi dei fiori e del mare che si uniscono in una fragranza inimitabile da tecniche umane.
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