Antonio Tabucchi: The Missing Head Of Damasceno Monteiro
 

What BB King has to do with Antonio Tabucchi?.
I came to my second venture into the Italian writer Antonio Tabucchi?s novels through the side door so to speak. I had read his Indian Nocturne some while ago, and was mostly distracted by an incredibly bad translation. It was disappointing, as I had been given to believe Tabucchi is Italy?s most respected living novelist. In my mostly unsystematic research for reviewing Nobel contenders, Tabucchi?s name kept appearing on lists. In keeping with Traces focus on things in the corner, the margins, of course his better known 1994 Pereira Declares and supposedly masterful short stories were passed over in favor of this 1996 New Directions published novel translated by J.C. Patrick (not the same translator as for Indian Nocturne). Many times recognized in European letters, Tabucchi must have at least a wall devoted to his considerable array of literary prizes. He is a part-time Professor of Portuguese at Siena University and spends the rest of his time with his Portugese wife in Lisbon.
Viscera (a.k.a. The Thrill is Gone)
Set in Oporto Portugal, the protagonist, Firmino is a young Lisbon tabloid journalist. He is sent out to look into a report that a Gypsy had found a headless corpse in his encampment. As we begin to follow Firmino in his investigations, we are introduced to the illustrious lawyer Don Fernando, who becomes a sort of mentor for Firmino, and the pension owner, Donna Rosa. The mystery, which I will effortlessly not reveal more of, unfolds equally effortlessly on Firmino?s part, as the puzzle is rather rapidly pieced together with the guidance of both the lawyer and Donna Rosa without as much of a hint of interference from higher powers. The question of influences, and the sociological impact of literature is a back story. Firmino also happens to be an aspiring literary critic, and he is repeatedly queried by the sagacious lawyer as to the methods he intends to use in his investigations, both in this case as well as the approach he will use in his aim of someday publishing a thesis on Post Realistic Portuguese Fiction. Firmino explains that the Marxist Critic Lukacs has been a great influence on his thinking. The learned Don Fernando reveals in one of several of his ?lectures? to Firmino that the Austrian legal philosopher Hans Kelson has been his obsession
The review in full.


---

I like Tabucchi a lot. Like all writers some of his works are better than others--but that's all subjective to the individual reader. His best book IMO is Pereira declares which is set in Portugal during the Salazar dictatorship and around the time of the Spanish civil war if I'm not mistaken--it has been a while. Though Italian much of his work is set in Portugal--kind of an adoptive country for him. I see in him an anti-authoritarian/anarchistic streak--a very appealing Italian trait if you were to ask me. I did like Damasceno Monteiro.

And here is the thread----> http://www.worldliteratureforum.com/...-declares.html

I loved Noctune Indien but got in difficulties trying to read Tristano die.(too mad)
I have black angel(un novella really)reviewed by the illustrous Daniel and Dream of dream (very short stories,short like calvino short).
But Nocturne Indien was a revelation.I have the french movie made from it.

Firmino is a young Lisbon tabloid journalist. He is sent out to look into a report that a Gypsy had found a headless corpse in his encampment. Firmino also happens to be an aspiring literary critic, and he is repeatedly queried by the sagacious lawyer as to the methods he intends to use in his investigations, both in this case as well as the approach he will use in his aim of someday publishing a thesis on Post Realistic Portuguese Fiction. It's interesting this character has a lot of similiarities with Pereira, the progatonist of his most famous novel Pereira Declares. I haven't read the novel you're reviewing, but the one I quoted before and a pair of short story books makes me think he is a perfect candidate for the Nobel Prize. His texts are so beatufully narrated ,even though I've read them in translation, and this means that his prose is so brilliant that can overtake translations. (The other options is that his translator is great, but I've read him with different ones so I'd be inclined for the first option).
Thumbs up for Tabucchi

In a sense Daniel I see some similarities in style and content between Tabucchi and the guy in your avatar--Bolano--at least in respect to Bolano's shorter fiction like--By night in Chile and Distant Star. Tabucchi doesn't seem to have anything like Bolano's more massive works though--at least not that I know of.

I will give Tabucchi another shot then. IF Pereira Declares is NOT translated by Tim Parks.. (you would not believe some of the sentences that made it past 'editing and 'proof' into the English version of Indian Nocturne)

I didn't think the rendering of Damascenor Monteiro was all that bad. The prose was lucid. The preachy sections by the lawyer stuck out from the story line, it was not all that enagaging or supported in the context of the narrative. He seemed a mechanism more than a character.


---

I don't think I really feel that qualified to speak about translators. Parks is a decent--sometimes even very good novelist--maybe he's had too many irons in the fire. My copy of Pereira declares is translated by Patrick Creagh.

Well, that can explain why I like them both so much . I can't stop thinking that if Bola?o would still be alive he'd have been the next Nobel Prize for Spanish language http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...lies/frown.png.

Very much so. BTW I just got the new translation of his Skating Rink today and I will be reading it soon.

Yes, I am aware he is also a novelist. However, as history as shown, a very good novelist does not necessarily a very good translator make http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ilies/wink.png.



---

That's true.http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...es/biggrin.png It does seem he gets in enough practice. Tabucchi isn't the only writer he's translated. I think he's done two or three Fleur Jaeggy's. Anyway it's Patrick Creagh (not Parks) for Pereira declares.

I like Tabucchi in general; I think he's brilliant and reading him becomes addictive. The Missing Head of Damasceno Monteiro is quite good. Together with Pereira Decalres, they are part of one strand of Tabucchi's writing, that of the socio/political realist, in which the author clearly sends his message across through his characters. They are both written in fluid prose and read very easily, actually like thrillers. The other strand of Tabucchi literature, which I personally prefer, is more intimate. It has to do with dreams, with soul searching, with existentianl musings, with traveling in time and space. Here Tabucchi's style is rather impressionistic, many times poetic. In this category belong his collections of short stories, such as Little Misunderstandings of no Importance (IMO a masterpiece of story telling) and It's getting later all the time(a challenging but rewarding read). Also in this category is his exquisite novella Indian Nocture, another early masterpieces. I am sorry for promtbr, who had such a bad experience with a crummy translation. But i can see the difficulties that any non Italian might encounter translating that text.

Ok, now you're putting salt in my wound! http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...lies/frown.png As I mentioned everybody else here, it's really hard to find La Pista de Hielo in Spanish right now. I'll keep on trying.

Stiffelio, I totally agree with you. If Tabucchi wins the Nobel Prize, the legend the academy writes down to explain why they're awarding the prize to the author MUST include something about his mastery in the short story field.

Some of Tabucchi's stories are indeed jewels (e.g. "Rebus", "Cambio di mano", "I treni che vanno a Madras"). I read them over and over and every time I find new clues or meanings. Some of them I haven't quite figured out yet (e.g. "Any where out of the world" from "Piccoli Equivoci senza Importanza", or most of the "Letters" in "Si sta facendo sempre pi? tardi"). I am fortunate in being able to read him in the Italian original.

Which collections have you read so far? I gather you read them in Spanish. Italian translates much better into Spanish than into English. So you should be OK.

I've only read a couple volumes. El Angel Negro, which I reviewed in the forum and another one titled El Juego del Rev?s, being the first one my favorite.
Here's the link to the thread I started on El Angel Negro, there you can see which stories were my favorites.
Please recommend me which one I should go later.

Sorry Daniel--I would have thought they'd be readily available where you are. Anyway there is supposed to be something like four more translations of his work coming out in 2010. And talk of some lost works as well + a 6th part to 2666.

And look at from the other side you get to read Le Clezio's (a fave of mine) Quarantine--we may have to wait forever for it here.

I thought Quarantine was already translated into English already. How strange!

Le Clezio's first several works when he was very young were all translated. His work then tended towards the experimentation of the the Nouveau Romanticists like Robbe-Grillet, Butor etc. At least he was typecast as one of a second wave of that grouping. I don't think the numbers ever added up and most of these early books are now hard to find. From the mid 70's to the mid 80's he continued to published in France but his work was no longer being translated. In the meantime however he became less experimental and more story and character focused--although thematically he's still more or less the same. In the last 10-15 years some of those later works have come out sporadically-they were as before shortprinted by smaller niche publishers.

Anyway I like his early experimental books and I like the later more conventional works--I do have all but one of his early works and when he won the Nobel--the values of these rarities skyrocketed. My wife was like 'Sell them! Sell them!' and I was like 'What are you nuts?' He is a favorite writer of mine. I'm not going to sell them--at least not unless the sky falls.

We are completely off-thread now, but did you read "Le Proc?s Verbal" (The Interrogation)? I think it was his very first book. It's waiting TBR on my shelf but so far I didn't dare touch it.

Yeah I know. I feel guilty too.http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...es/redface.png Mea Culpa. Mea Culpa.

The Interrogation won him the Prix Renaudot--a major literary prize. He was only 22--23 years old at the time. I liked it but one could get the sense of incompleteness with it--of a young writer trying to find his voice. I think he hit his stride in his next books--Fever, The Flood.

Going further off topic--as a comparison it reminds me of Halldor Laxness's first novel--The Great weaver of Kashmir which has recently been translated--where it seems to me that Laxness struggles with his story in the first half but then finds his voice and a direction in the second half and is able to bring it off. Le Clezio never seems to find the direction IMO in his Interrogation and so ultimately I would say it didn't live up to its potential and is maybe his weakest novel that I've read.