tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post2767039086785602424..comments2023-12-24T17:41:42.989-08:00Comments on seraillon: Neapolitan Sextet: Jean-Noël Schifano's Chroniques napolitainesseraillonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17654593356535433945noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-7391204004493702572015-10-02T18:18:14.645-07:002015-10-02T18:18:14.645-07:00Thanks so much. That's the one that looked mos...Thanks so much. That's the one that looked most appealing. I'll pick it up.seraillonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17654593356535433945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-10286129218235735252015-10-02T16:36:42.830-07:002015-10-02T16:36:42.830-07:00My favorite Alajmo Cuore di madre . . .available...My favorite Alajmo Cuore di madre . . .available, besides the Italian, in French. A story of complete horror told so joyfully and wittily that my sides were splitting when I read it. A wonderful portrait of a Sicilian mother and her relationshiip with her son.JLShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13228664476069932247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-78135325473014429852015-10-02T16:16:29.852-07:002015-10-02T16:16:29.852-07:00J - Thanks so much for the kind words. A lull in w...J - Thanks so much for the kind words. A lull in what's been an extremely busy work season appears on the horizon, so I'm hoping to post a bit more frequently. <br /><br /><i>Desir d'Italie</i> is the Schifano I'm now most eager to read (alas, it's not available in the library here). Please let me know what you think about it. <br /><br />There's definitely some Sicilian wit in Schifano - perhaps especially in the <i>Dictionnaire</i>, where he's not bound to his more grim source material, but even in <i>Chroniques</i> there are some pretty lively and amusing passages. I've not heard of Robert Alajmo but will remedy that as soon as I finish typing this comment.<br /><br />I'm so glad you liked the Flaiano book; I thought it was terrific. seraillonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17654593356535433945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-47375641998940871652015-10-02T16:07:44.795-07:002015-10-02T16:07:44.795-07:00I purchased Desir d’Italie, Everybody is a star: S...I purchased Desir d’Italie, Everybody is a star: Suite napolitaine and after your mention found a copy of the Dictionnaire. Because of her “voice” I can’t do Ferrante. However, blood and gore don’t bother me at all. I do hope since the author is half Sicilian, he shows a bit of Sicilian wit. Have you read the Sicilian Roberto Alajmo? <br /> <br />Another book you reviewed, the Short Cut made my Best of 2015 list. Because of your book choices, I await your blog reviews with great enthusiasm and, like Jacqui, when they are not forthcoming, miss them greatly<br />JLShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13228664476069932247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-55500808768082634532015-10-02T15:52:59.781-07:002015-10-02T15:52:59.781-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.JLShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13228664476069932247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-53199842222224469122015-10-02T14:35:13.397-07:002015-10-02T14:35:13.397-07:00You and me both. Schifano really deserves to be tr...You and me both. Schifano really deserves to be translated. When I originally looked for this book in France, few bookshops had it, but <i>every</i> bookseller knew all about it. seraillonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17654593356535433945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-15996749737287342012015-10-02T14:32:13.485-07:002015-10-02T14:32:13.485-07:00Thanks Jacqui, you're very kind. I'm glad ...Thanks Jacqui, you're very kind. I'm glad to be back to posting and hope I can keep it up a bit more frequently in the coming weeks.<br /><br />The theatricality is all in the extremes of emotion and passion Schifano conveys. Some scenes would work well on stage, certainly, but the aesthetic texture of them as a whole is, as I noted above, much more like oil paintings.<br /><br />Elena Ferrante, in the fourth book of her series, spends a bit of time around Forcella (actually adjacent to the neighborhood her books depict), and might easily have chosen to draw on the story of the convent Sant'Arcangelo. She picks a different story from that neighborhood instead.seraillonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17654593356535433945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-107490904630232872015-10-02T14:28:19.461-07:002015-10-02T14:28:19.461-07:00JLS - Oh, good, I'm so glad. I hope the book l...JLS - Oh, good, I'm so glad. I hope the book lives up to my enthusiasm for it! Which other one did you find? Schifano's range seems quite broad, even if it does seem to always come back to Naples. I'm poking around his his very enjoyable <i>Dictionnaire amoureux de Naples</i> right now. seraillonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17654593356535433945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-27262386389061820542015-10-02T14:24:54.205-07:002015-10-02T14:24:54.205-07:00There's more than a little about which to be s...There's more than a little about which to be squeamish in these stories, though the distancing of centuries seems to help a little. Still, for the story of Tibero de Vela I had to put the book down and go walk around the block before I could finish reading. seraillonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17654593356535433945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-17751209730020488992015-10-01T11:20:26.694-07:002015-10-01T11:20:26.694-07:00Maybe Ferrante-mania will get this pulled into Eng...Maybe Ferrante-mania will get this pulled into English. I hope so - wow.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-27220840040922097532015-10-01T10:38:52.043-07:002015-10-01T10:38:52.043-07:00It's good to see the return of posts here, Sco...It's good to see the return of posts here, Scott - I've missed your reviews. Like JLS, I'm fascinated and intrigued by the range of books you manage to uncover, and this one is no exception. It's interesting you should use the word "theatrical" in your closing comments. I was thinking of that very word while reading your review as I can imagine these stories working well on the stage. It comes through in the passages you've translated in your review. <br /><br />Also, I couldn't help but think of Ferrante's Neapolitan novels on seeing Schifano's description of Naples in your second paragraph: a city where “the passion of love” is only equaled by “the passion for vengeance.” It brought to mind the neighbourhood depicted in 'My Brilliant Friend' and its sequel, 'The Story of a New Name'. JacquiWinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16220597283351925721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-43986417759883146872015-10-01T09:14:05.071-07:002015-10-01T09:14:05.071-07:00Your reading choices continue to fascinate me. Ke...Your reading choices continue to fascinate me. Keep 'em coming. Because I'm in Paris I was able to order this Folio and another by the same author.JLShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13228664476069932247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-64562739535514759432015-10-01T07:00:38.533-07:002015-10-01T07:00:38.533-07:00These stories sound really compelling. However, I ...These stories sound really compelling. However, I have gotten a little squeamish in regards to reading about brutal violence so I might have a difficulty with this one.<br /><br />Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.com