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Forse la stanchezza, o un calo di zuccheri, chi lo sa! E allora chi di bozza ferisce, di sorriso abbozzato perisce. E vedrai che la prossima volta non ti sbagli! Apr 29, Tony rated it really liked it Shelves: Manfredi is a best-selling novelist in Europe, known primarily for his historical novels. It focuses on the escapades and events in the lives of members of the Bruni family.
They are peasants who live and work on the outskirts of a small village in the Emilia Romagna region in Italy.
Their lives consist of working the land for the owner and turning over a certain percentage of their output to him after the harvest. In this country, our equivalent would be sharecroppers. Aside from the mother and father, there were seven male children and two female children. The story fallows events that befall each of them. In WW I, the eldest of the sons was called up for service, and fought with the French against the Germans.
When WW II broke out, most of the remaining sons were called up to fight — at first — with the Germans against the Russians. When Italy broke away from the Axis, they switched sides to join the Partisans to fight against the Germans in league with the Americans. It is difficult to describe this novel. The reader is slowly drawn into the story of their lives and their beliefs. The writing reminds you of novels written around the turn of the 20th century from the Realism School. Each character becomes distinctive and representative of some school of thought of the Italians, and all follow a code of honesty and bravery in the face of the various adversities thrown at them by life.
I plan to read more by Manfredi. Regarding to many comments here and different point of views I do need to add something about that; but I have a summery of my own about this book of my favorite author: A typical classic low pace novel; many names make sense according to lineage of a family. Using many characters in a story is well-known for readers of Historical, Sci fi, and many genres. I agree it is difficult to follow as a reader specially when we read in a long period of time not a non-stop.
This is a kind of book that Regarding to many comments here and different point of views I do need to add something about that; but I have a summery of my own about this book of my favorite author: This is a kind of book that Manfredi himself needed to use a little dilemma at the end to conclude the story. History is what someone like me loves to read, so cinematic, as some people expect, is not my concern to read a book. I believe that this book is underrated here in Goodreads and deserves better critics and rating. So everyone who enjoys a classic contemporary history of Italy, as matter of fact, bologna, may read this book too.
Jul 02, Sara rated it really liked it.
It took me a while to get into this book - in fact a four hour train ride with nothing else to do helped a lot! But once I did, I really enjoyed it. It was compelling and interesting without weighing you down with unnecessarily complicated or flowery prose that I feel like often accompanies multi-generational epic family novels.
Feb 18, Nick rated it liked it. Valerio Massimo Manfredi gave this novel the most puzzling title I've ever run across, and not in the inventive way of Italo Calvino or Dave Eggers. If anything, this novel is deliberately anti-modern; this is old-fashioned inter-generational saga, an epic of the Italian countryside that evokes, to pick randomly, Galsworthy or Roger Martin du Gard--or, more fatally, Garcia Marquez' Macondo.
So there is no single winter's night worthy of a title but instead a trek across enough decades to see the Valerio Massimo Manfredi gave this novel the most puzzling title I've ever run across, and not in the inventive way of Italo Calvino or Dave Eggers. So there is no single winter's night worthy of a title but instead a trek across enough decades to see the grown-up grandchildren of the original couple. One problem is that Manfredi uses up his best material too early--seven sons go to World War I all of whom, improbably, survive it and the early chapters recounting the experience of one of them reaches an intensity almost as hellish as Gabriel Chevallier's "Fear".
Nothing that follows reaches that pitch of interest and tension, although Manfredi's characters make the struggle between Fascism and leftism as Il Duce tightened his grip compelling. The other great irritant--and this is is something "A WInter's Night" shares with "One Hundred Years of Solitude"--is that the women tend to disappear into the background with the exception of the widow matriarch.
The one in Manfredi has nine children, but, aside from her, a couple of the sons dominate. There are the travails of courtship, and one of the two sisters is sent to live with the other already married to prevent a union with a socially inferior man. But the already-married sister barely figures in the narrative her almost-unseen husband almost has more character and the social inferior that the other marries gets much more post-wedding attention from Manfredi than the blood relation.
Women in this world are pursued, marry with one exception , bear children and often enough die tragically. The limited view of women, even and perhaps especially as the men work out their property and political disputes, feels incomplete. It feels almost like reading half of a story that would be much more interesting to see made whole.
Bello, ma non un capolavoro! L'autore caratterizza bene certi personaggi ma non tutti per esempio Dante , le vicende della prima guerra sono incentrare su Floti, Gaetano, e Checco, ma non sugli altri. La superstizione iniziale della capra d'oro, meritava forse una continuazione nel corso della lettura, invece sembra essere stata introdotta per sostenere un finale un po' forzato.
Per essere completo il libro doveva forse contenere il triplo delle pagine, con un maggiore dettaglio narrativo , come ne "Mondo senza fine" o i "Pilastri della terra" di Ken Follet. Jun 01, Amy rated it it was ok. Got halfway through and couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't connect with or care about any of the characters.
And the dialog was stilted, flat. There were interesting descriptions of World War I from the Italians' perspective. There was some sense of how fascists and socialists began to fight between the wars. On a food note, I was reminded that so many things that foodies now pay top dollar for--parmesan, salami, pretty much anything made from grapes--started out as the kind of humble, rustic f Got halfway through and couldn't take it anymore. On a food note, I was reminded that so many things that foodies now pay top dollar for--parmesan, salami, pretty much anything made from grapes--started out as the kind of humble, rustic food that a farmer who'd never been on a train before would tuck into his pocket for the journey.
Jul 06, Panos Mangan rated it did not like it. I was totally disappointed because Manfredi is usually better at maintaining readers' interest.
There were a million people involved in the story, so I was unable to connect with any of them, especially those that made their appearance after half the book. Also, there was no coherence; the story didn't lead anywhere in specific.
I think that the author was extremely ambitious on this project. He made references to many events of the history and involved numerous characters, but, unfortunately, h I was totally disappointed because Manfredi is usually better at maintaining readers' interest. He made references to many events of the history and involved numerous characters, but, unfortunately, he neglected making sense. Aug 24, LorriLee rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: I recently discovered this book quietly sitting on one of many bookshelves. I am not sure how it got there, but I am glad it 'arrived'.
This is my first exposure to Valerio Massimo Manfredi, who I recently discovered is a noted writer of historical fiction and non-fiction. I clearly enjoyed reading this novel, which was epic in scope, but intimate in its writing. There are no major overarching themes that power reviewers to rant on forever about the strength of the novel, just good old fashioned I recently discovered this book quietly sitting on one of many bookshelves.
There are no major overarching themes that power reviewers to rant on forever about the strength of the novel, just good old fashioned story-telling that at its roots is a period commentary on life and survival. Centered on the Bruni family, rural Italian tenent farmers, this novel spans three generations in the first half of the 20th century and encompasses both World Wars, the rise of Mussolini, and civil unrest.
Serene in form, style, and writing, and deftly translated, this story reads as a folktale, drawing the reader into its charm as the tale unfolds. A period piece of the s, A Winter's Night is a series of vignettes that have been expertly woven around the backdrop of the Bruni family to form a cohesive narrative that reveals the strife, heartache, and dreams of simple people who lives are dictated by the needs and wants of others.
Many reviewers believed this book fell short as it offers no conclusion, no epiphany, nor universal truth.
The ending is perfect for a book that focuses on the impecunious lives of the rural poor; nothing else matters except for survival. Read the book and see if you agree with me. Legonsa, ingessata, rigida, pedestre.
Molto debole rispetto a tutto il resto. Credo che a tutti gli effetti un finale vero e proprio neanche ci sia. Los personajes son sumamente simples, lo que no es necesariamente algo bueno. De hecho, son tan simples que llega a doler. Inizio molto promettente, ho apprezzato particolarmente la parte ambientata durante la prima guerra mondiale e la caratterizzazione di alcuni personaggi.
Sep 26, Bialey rated it liked it. An interesting family saga, from which I learnt more of Italian history as well. I'll read more by this author. Si trattava di un grosso capannone distante una cinquantina di metri dalla grande casa colonica della famiglia. Si trattava sempre di vecchi reietti o pellegrini, contadini senza terra o vagabondi. Ma i Bruni sono giovani e pieni di vita e non lo prendono troppo sul serio. Sanno arare e mietere, potare i tralci e lavorare la canapa, curano le bestie e gli alberi, conoscono ogni angolo della loro terra e sanno trarne il meglio per la famiglia e per il padrone.
Naturalmente anche i giovani Bruni dovranno partire e lasciare la terra alla cura loro donne. Dal al , lungo le tappe di una storia intrisa di sangue, Valerio Massimo Manfredi tratteggia la vicenda di una famiglia moderna adoperando i suoi stilemi classici: Un grande autore che trasforma, ancora una volta, la storia tramandata in una grande avventura epica. Dec 12, Rebecca rated it liked it Shelves: Valerio Massimo Manfredi is best known for his historical fiction set in the ancient world, Greece, Rome, Egypt etc.
This marks something of a departure as, although it is still historical fiction, it starts in and follows an Italian peasant farming family, who have farmed the same land for as long as anyone knows and who pride themselves on the fact their barn is open to anyone who needs refuge. Some of the visitors are regular, returning the same time each year while others wander off and Valerio Massimo Manfredi is best known for his historical fiction set in the ancient world, Greece, Rome, Egypt etc.
Some of the visitors are regular, returning the same time each year while others wander off and are never seen again. They are a simple family with little education, many of them deeply religious while at the same time quick to believe superstitions about curses from love rivals etc. In che modo la tua esperienza come traduttore influisce sulla tua scrittura e viceversa? La scrittura e la traduzione hanno confini permeabili: Per esempio, io e Roberto ci siamo documentati su testi in inglese di storici africani sul colonialismo inglese e italiano, che sono poco conosciuti in Italia.
In che modo il NIE parla dei oppure al posto dei subalterni? Dubito fortemente che si possa parlare del NIE coniugando i verbi al presente, a meno che non sia presente storico. O almeno, esce poco che interessi a me. Noi lavoriamo con la storia, con il passato. Qualche settimana fa un giornalista della BBC, sapendo che sto scrivendo un libro — fortemente schierato — di non-fiction sul movimento No Tav della Val di Susa, mi ha chiesto: I pro-Tav non hanno bisogno di me.
No Picnic on Mount Kenya: A Daring Escape, a Perilous Climb. Confinement, Writing and Borders. A cura di P. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. Paradoxes of Postcolonial Culture: State University of New York Press. Paradisi fiscali, oleodotti e ritorno del rimosso: Di cosa si tratta? Due modi di gettare il proprio corpo nella lotta. Scaricabile in PDF , marzo Scarpa non ha mai risposto. Nel ho ripreso la questione, scrivendo:. Il simbolo-Saviano in posa per un servizio di Vanity Fair , Oggi, se nel mondo degli studi letterari almeno quelli seri sostieni una cosa del genere, ti ridono dietro e ne hanno ben donde.
Forse il miglior testo critico scritto sul NIE. Scambi, intrecci e prospettive nella narrativa italiana contemporanea , Transeuropa, Indice e introduzione scaricabili in PDF. Storia, memoria, narrazione , Carocci Altre imprese, altre narrazioni , Iacobelli Scarica questo articolo in formato ebook ePub o Kindle. Tentativi di parallelismo sono stati fatti Garrone, Sorrentino etc. E devo dire che tutti quelli che conosco che si sono occupati di NIE, la pensano come me….
Il pallino del NIE mi rimane in testa: Contemporaneamente sono invitato a presentare un intervento ad un convegno sul rapporto fra Mito e Cinema Americano.