Tom's reading list part Deux

Adam Gopnik, “ Paris to the Moon”
I thought this was a terrific work. American family abroad, the trials, the insights
All in an art/literary context. Expectedly, I found a lot of similarities to our experiences here in Rome.

Michael Frayn, “Headlong”
A perfect BBC or “Masterpiece Theater” drama from the author of “Copenhagen”.
Art as the mcguffin in the plot, mystery and human failings bunched up to create a tumultuous story of an interior and intimate nature. Kind of a “da Vinci Code” for the thinking reader.

Federico Garcia Lorca, “In Search of Duende”
Lectures by the poet on the spirit of Andalusian music. Written in the 1930’s it has certain romantic and nationalistic leanings that date the ideas. Nevertheless, as a metaphor “duende” is the spirit that all creators hope for.

Alessandro Baricco, “Ocean/Sea”
Magic Realism in style, poetically written. Almost a child’s story about characters in crisis brought together in a seaside Inn. Each character, including the Inn and settings are metaphors for states of being. The story, told in a magical way makes it all the more
vivid.
“Silk”
Beautifully told tale of love, desire and commitment expressed in the manner of a folktale or myth. Like the aforementioned novel, this also is vivid and magical.

Lindsey Davies, “Shadows in Bronze”
Fun reading, film noir meets ancient Rome when the Roman detective Marcus Falco tries to solve 2 murders and bring to justice a cadre of traitors. Parts of the action take place on the Amalfi Coast in the Aventine section of Rome…..which we have come to know very well!

Italo Calvino, “If on a winter’s night a traveler…”
Postmodern in style, the novel, [ I use the term loosely], is self-reflective. It speaks a lot about how it is said not what is said. The writer and the reader are characters in the book. The pages are filled with the beginnings of 10 different stories, separate narratives that almost come together in the end. It’s one of those early postmodern experiments in literature. It can be forgiven for that… in that it makes you think about the role of the reader in literature. What we each bring to the story is important, even vital to the continuation of culture.

In addition I’ve been reading multiple books, brochures and church biographies on the people and places we’ve been documenting in camera.

Ciao, Tommaso