L'arte della gioia (alkuperäinen julkaisuvuosi 1998; vuoden 2009 painos)

Giuditta: l'opera andrebbe sforbiciata

Massive story about Modesta. An orphan. Becomes a princess and lead the family through the century. Interesting. Sometimes loose a bit of focus. ( )

Received in ebook form from www.netgalley.com

The Art of Joy was written over a nine year span, from 1967 to 1976. This epic Sicilian novel, which begins in the year 1900 and follows its main character, Modesta, through nearly the entire span of the 20th century, is at once a coming-of-age novel, a tale of sexual adventure and discovery, a fictional autobiography, and a sketch of Italy's moral, political and social past. Born in a small Sicilian village and orphaned at age nine, Modesta spends her childhood in a convent raised by nuns.Through sheer cunning, she manages to escape, and eventually becomes a princess

The Art of Joy is remarkable for its protagonist, Modesta, who is that rare figure in literature: an anti-tragic hero. By that I mean she becomes "eminently good" as an adult and her success in life is largely the result of her own actions and hedonistic philosophy. Heavily plotted in the first 200 pages, the rest of the book settles into a character study, with vivid dialogue framed in intense but disconnected scenes. The landscape of Sicily is a constant, sketchy presence, but description is kept to a minimum and the narrative "glue" of most novels is missing. A strange book that reads more like a final draft than a finished work but is all the more lively because of it. ( )

Una novel·la que val per deu, per vint, per cent d'altres" (Le Soir), una novel·la "que se'ns emporta, plena de febre i d'intel·ligència, molt visual, eròtica, familiar i política, arrelada en una illa plena d'ametllers silvestres i de vendetta" (Nouvel Observateur).

La protagonista de L'art de viure és una dona amb una capacitat excepcional per lluitar i per estimar. Nascuda en la misèria, Modesta explora al llarg de la seva vida totes les possibilitats de mare i d'amant, la vida en un convent i en un palau, i a través de la intriga, apareixen les més grans commocions del segle XX. Modesta s'enfronta a tot impulsada per la voluntat de viure a fons, encarnant les esperances de totes les dones.

"Tan impressionant com El guepard de Lampedusa, L'art de viure és un llibre que ressona des de la primera a l'última pàgina" (Il giorno).

Goliarda Sapienza va néixer a Catània, Sicília (1924). Als setze anys, ingressà a l'Acadèmia d'Art Dramàtic de Roma. Va dedicar deu anys a escriure L'art de viure. Morí el 1996, poc abans que es publiqués aquesta novel·la. En aquesta edició s'inclouen fotos de l'autora.
[Font: http://www.edicionslacampana.cat/index.php/llibres/283] ( )