If you like vividly painted descriptions of nature, lyrical evocations of rural life, and more specifically of farming, then this is the thing for youIf you like vividly painted descriptions of nature, lyrical evocations of rural life, and more specifically of farming, then this is the thing for you. And also, if you like a classic coming-of-age story, including the inevitable sexual initiation, then this is it, too. Harrison brings to life a fictional village in 1930s Suffolk, England, all through the eyes of the young, fairly naive farmer's daughter Edi Mather. Many ingredients seem familiar, especially if you've already read a few Thomas Hardy novels. But Harrison adds some accents of her own. The most original of these is presented through the character Constance FitzAllen, a feisty town lady who speaks highly of the traditional values of the countryside, but appears to have an agenda of her own. The author here incorporates the rise of fascism in England, but in such a way that it actually has more to do with Brexit and topics of today. Captivating and lyrical, for sure, but, personally, I thought the story was a bit long-winded, in the first half. It picks up speed past halfway, only to come to at a rather abrupt and not entirely satisfying ending. (rating 2.5 stars)...more
"About twenty dead and sixty wounded from Trieste to Apulia, from morning to evening. Undoubtedly, it was a period of promising, astonishing develo"About twenty dead and sixty wounded from Trieste to Apulia, from morning to evening. Undoubtedly, it was a period of promising, astonishing development."
Long ago, as a history student I made a Master's thesis on a subject from the period between the two world wars. What always struck me was the enormous, almost feverish intensity with which people uttered their views and opinions in those days. The massacre of World War I, and the hope that it would not stay meaningless, had unleashed a huge ideological fire and sent an entire generation into truly revolutionary waters. In the confusing times immediately after the war, left-wing and right-wing ideas intertwined, often in the same person. This also explains why many people made the switch back and forth rather easily and took a completely different ideological position with just as much fervor. And the brutal violence of war itself and the frustrations that had arisen also explain why the threshold to use violence was so low, both left and right.
This thought came to my mind while reading this book. Antonio Scurati (° 1969) strikingly evokes the period 1919-1924 when Italy was brimming with revolutionary organizations, chaotic strikes and violent confrontations. It was the ideal breeding ground for ideologically very agile persons such as Mussolini, who also had a psychopathological predilection for radical, violent acts, fueled by the (false) heroism of the trenches. Scurati brings it to life by presenting a mosaic of perspectives and episodes, that has a fictional slant but is based on historical sources, even citing original documents like letters, police reports and journal articles. It's not really a novel, more a sort of docu-fiction.
The protagonist of course is 'M.', Benito Mussolini, the son of a blacksmith in Northern Italy. He had played a role in the socialist movement before the war, but was then radicalized and clearly walking his own ideological path after the war, based on a cocktail of very diverse influences. But let's say he was mainly driven by an animalistic urge for power, and a predilection for decisive action, preferably with brutal violence. Scurati's portrait of Mussolini is effective in that it gives you an authentic picture of the cunning way in which Mussolini fought his way to the top through that turbulent period. He aptly points out how shaky his position repeatedly was in this period: in 1919 the fascist movement was barely alive, but it managed to gain support from the middle class and big business through violent resistance against the factory occupations and general strikes of the socialists; in 1922 his march on Rome was a very risky gamble that almost failed, but by deft maneuvering and bluffing, Mussolini managed to break liberal and conservative resistance and win the prime ministership; and in 1924 his regime was on the verge of breakdown after the brutal murder he ordered of the only remaining opponent, Giacomo Matteoti, but again Mussolini managed to gain the upper hand through rhetorical mastery and the hesitations of the remaining opposition. Even admired philosophers and literati like Benedetto Croce and Luigi Pirandello bowed down for so much bravado. Scurati does not hesitate to emphasize that it mainly was the restraint of democratic forces that paved the way for the fascist dictatorship.
This is all extremely interesting, with of course a great many parallels with the advancing populism and threats to democracy in our time. Still, reading this book is a daunting task. There is not only the size (more than 800 pages), but also the constantly changing perspectives, the detailed account of events, and the somewhat archaic-bombastic style (in line with the swollen language of the age). It takes a lot of persistence from the reader. This book is a great achievement by Scurati, without a doubt, but not a bedside read....more
Life's but a walking shadow Natalia Ginzburg presents a chronicle of two families living opposite each other, in a northern Italian town, one slightly Life's but a walking shadow Natalia Ginzburg presents a chronicle of two families living opposite each other, in a northern Italian town, one slightly impoverished, the other rich. It's the 1930s, the fascists of Mussolini are in power, a new war is casting its shadow, but Ginzburg focuses almost entirely on the banal vicissitudes of four youngsters from those families (with a few secondary figures next to them). She does this in a dry, detached style that merely records. Fathers die, the children go to school or start working in the factory (as laborers or as directors), they have friendships and successful or unsuccessful relationships: it is all told without emotion. Politics and the international situation certainly are present, but in the background.
It is only around the middle of the novel that the story starts to gain momentum, not coincidentally when the war really breaks out and the protagonists are pulled along. But even now the style remains sober and business-like, in a continuous stream of relatively short sentences, descriptive, without dialogues, and again with subdued emotion; not even when really dramatic things happen towards the end of the war. The main characters just undergo what is happening, barely understand what is going on, have no control over their lives.
I'm going to be honest: already after 30 pages I had the urge to close this book. The writing style and the lack of an intriguing story did not really encourage reading. But I persevered, and only after about 150 pages this novel began to speak. Not spectacularly, of course not, but still. This is strange: Ginzburg has ventured an experiment with only antiheroes, a family chronicle without passion or fireworks. It was only after some searching that I found the key: at the beginning, Ginzburg posted a quote from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, beginning with the words "and all our yesterdays", which refers to the title of this book. Curiously, it are the very cynical lines that follow this citation, and which she does not mention, that perfectly convey the meaning of this novel: “Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.� When you read this novel from that light, the endless, consecutive sentences begin to speak deafeningly. So, in the end I was captivated, but I can’t say it was a top read. (rating 2.5 stars)...more
I remember seeing a movie in which a rather clumsy man takes over the divine powers of God for one day: the character goes crazy when suddenly the thoI remember seeing a movie in which a rather clumsy man takes over the divine powers of God for one day: the character goes crazy when suddenly the thoughts of all people on earth shoot through his mind. Something similar happens in this novel, but on a small scale. Lobo Antunes has chosen a random building in Lisbon with 4 floors (and an attic). Just like Georges Perec in Life A User's Manual, he walks through all the rooms (in this case only 8) and displays the inner thoughts of the residents.
These are not streamlined thoughts like with Proust or Joyce, but a feverish sequence of observations, memories and reflections that constantly jump in time and place, sometimes no more than half sentences and then half page monologues; regularly the sounds and thoughts of the other rooms also penetrate, because why make it easy when it can be difficult? As a reader, it is struggling and demanding, because you are inclined to constantly gauge: who says what, and why, and what does it actually mean? But after a while you are forced to give up. The author passes through all the rooms three times, each time in the same order, and the characters become a little more familiar in the long run, but you can't say that the story becomes evident. It is as if Lobo Antunes is simply forcing the reader to engage in that cacophonic polyphony of life, and let him float along with it.
Needless to say, this is not intended for the reader who is looking for a relaxed reading or compelling suspense. On the contrary, this is a very demanding reading experience that goes back and forth between frustration and fascination. Fortunately, after a while, you can see some threads in this chaos. It are almost all elder people who are talking; they are burdened by a strong nostalgic feeling towards their youth (parents, sisters and brothers constantly pop up), even though it was not easy (the detachment between family members, sometimes the terror regime of parents, mysterious events, etc.). Also common: a highly developed sense of loneliness and, consequently, an incredible desire for attention and affection. Portuguese politics are also involved: references to the fascist regime of Salazar are ubiquitous, the colonial past is still very topical, and for the Jews living on the ground floor the Nazi repression for which they fled so many years ago still is a living threat. One of the characters perfectly expresses the state of mind of all residents: "we all walk like a burning house and the flames burst out of the roof of our brain", which immediately explains the title of the book.
Again the Italian writer Tabucchi focusses on his favorite country Portugal, but in contrast to his preceding novella Requiem: A Hallucination, this nAgain the Italian writer Tabucchi focusses on his favorite country Portugal, but in contrast to his preceding novella Requiem: A Hallucination, this novel is written in Italian. No surrealist hallucination here, but the story of the slow turnaround in the life of the rather common Portuguese journalist Pereira. He’s responsible for the cultural page of a Catholic newspaper in Lisbon. The story is situated in 1938, in the time of Salazar, the Catholic-fascist dictator of Portugal. Pereira appears to be a goody guy who suffers from loneliness after the death of his wife (and is constantly dialoguing with her portrait), and who especially struggles with the Catholic question of resurrection after death (there’s a connection with Graham Greene here).
From the little we learn about it at the beginning, we can already see that Pereira, despite his good-naturedness, does have some critical sense, also about the political regime of his country. But, as a person, he is very cautious, and above all afraid to cross lines. This becomes even more apparent when, by coincidence, he comes into contact with some left-wing, anarchist activists. They will gradually open his eyes.
This entire process of developing awareness is minutely described by Tabucchi as a constant struggle of that little man - Pereira � struggling with the big world around him, and especially with a regime that mercilessly grinds every individual. Naturally, this is very reminiscent of Kafka, and the Czech writer is - though not mentioned by name - omnipresent in this novel. Constantly in this story the phrase "Pereira explains" is mentioned, suggesting that we are reading a police report, which reinforces the Kafkaian tone.
But Tabucchi is doing his utmost to confuse us, because this novel is full of introspectives and narrative passages that you cannot find in a police report. Also, the personal struggle and development of Pereira turns out to be very much in contrast with the impersonal, passive figure K., present in the work of Kafka. And the brave act of resistance with which this novel ends, emphasizes Pereira's courage to go against the system (again in contrast to K.). But the constantly returning phrase "Pereira explains" (clearly post factum) suggests that our little man has not escaped the clutches of the regime. In this manner, Tabucchi takes away the ambiguity, depriving us of the illusion that resistance makes a difference. But it’s striking he leaves this unspoken, implicit. So, there may be hope ... This is a short, interesting, but depressing read. I must confess, it didn't really captivate me. (2.5 stars)...more
The Italian writer Carlo Emilio Gadda (1893-1973) didn't make it easy for his reader. He not only turned a seemingly simple crime story into an inextrThe Italian writer Carlo Emilio Gadda (1893-1973) didn't make it easy for his reader. He not only turned a seemingly simple crime story into an inextricable tangle of side stories, he also wrapped this in an exuberant language and style. In my view the story line really wasn't Gadda's focus. Remains: an evocation of the hypocritical, clean-modernist Rome of Mussolini and an impression of the whimsical, absurdist, messy complexity of life. Regularly you get blown of your socks by a brilliant metaphor, but I think Gadda also got lost in this game. So mixed feelings about this one, but it sure is impressive read!...more
Very interesting and thorough study of fascism. Paxton's view is very pragmatic, not only looking at theory, but more to what fascism was in practice.Very interesting and thorough study of fascism. Paxton's view is very pragmatic, not only looking at theory, but more to what fascism was in practice. Striking gap: the Flemish nationalist collaboration in World War 2....more
Handsome sketch of the start of Hitler's carreer and ascent to power. Especially the concept of "Hitler entgegen wirken" explains how he could reach hHandsome sketch of the start of Hitler's carreer and ascent to power. Especially the concept of "Hitler entgegen wirken" explains how he could reach his goals. But Kershaw failed to show how German society came to accept the awful brutality and violence Hitler and his movement introduced....more
A very special kind of book, there's no doubt about that. But I'm not sure what to feel about it. The first third is a mix of diary excerpts, memoriesA very special kind of book, there's no doubt about that. But I'm not sure what to feel about it. The first third is a mix of diary excerpts, memories and reveries, especially about the youth of Abel Tiffauges, a crippled garageholder in Paris. It's difficult reading, but it's clear enough Tiffauges looks at reality in a very strange way, with special attention to young children (yes, indeed); he sees himself as "childbearer", and Saint Christopher his patron-saint; but a girlfriend refers to the 'oger'-myth, a humanoid monster in fairy-tales that hunts children. Then the perspective changes: the Second World War starts and Tiffauges is prisoner of war in a camp in East-Prussia, deep in Germany. He is afforded a lot of freedom, becomes an aide of Göring and eventually ends up in a castle-school of the Hitlerjugend. In the slipstream of nazi-rigor and cruelty he can develop his special "talents". It is here the link is made with the known poem of Goethe, "the alder-king - Der Erlkönig". I'm not going to reveal the end, but in the midst of the apocalyptic sceneries of the fall of the Third Reich, Tiffauges comes to repent his sins. This part in Eastern Prussia is much easier to read, as an interesting developing story. But this also has a perverse side-effect: hunting red deers, maniacally dissecting and analysing of racial and phyiscal characteristics of children, atrociously training of the Hitlerjugend, ... at a certain point it becomes attractive! Add to this the beautiful depicting of the eastprussian landscapes (dark woods, lovely lakes and grand castles of the teutonic order), all very wagnerian and attractive. Tournier has drawn a lot of criticism for this, as though he wanted to make nazisme likeable. I don't agree, on the contrary; he has succeeded in exhibiting the perversity in every human soul, and he clearly shows the excesses this can lead to. In short, there is a lot in this book to make it a beautiful, but shocking work, but in the end I can not say this was pleasant to read. So a very mixed and ambiguous judgment....more
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