An operatic italian classic gets a fresh translation the. At first hatred and contempt are all the boy feels for his stepmother. I try to learn from her books, but i find them unsurpassable elena ferrante on a remote island in the bay of naples, a young boy roams the shore with only his dog for company. At times disturbing, at times very moving, arturo s island by elsa morante, translated into english by anna goldstein, is a fascinating study of a young man reared by a frequently absent father. Arturo s island by elsa morante, ann goldstein translator and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Arturo s island by elsa morante and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The book in its original italian was first published in 1957 and has been reprinted many times since for the simple reason that it is exquisitely written that much is. Such was the case with elsa morante s enchanting book rereleased in early october with a new translation by ann goldstein. Buy arturos island by elsa morante from amazons fiction books store. A novel of longing and thwarted desires, arturo s island reemerges in this splendid translation to take its rightful place in the world literary canon. Arturos island by elsa morante book cover, description, publication history. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
Lisola di arturo, arturos island, is elsa morantes second novel. Arturos father leaves him on an island in the care of women who run the house and allow him to come and go. Arturos island by elsa morante, ann goldstein kirkus. Buy arturo s island reprint by morante, elsa, goldstein, ann isbn. In the novel, arturo, a small boy, grows up on the island of procida in the bay of naples. The first quarter of the novel, which features an abandoned arturo and his dog, his peregrinations around the island, and efforts to impress his father, is nearflawless. He abandons himself to books and rambles while awaiting his vagabond. The characters in elsa morantes masterpiece, arturos island, are bewitched. Published in italy in 1957, it was very successful at the time, and has since become a classic, taught in schools and widely read.
The story set on a small island off the coast of naples, italy, revolves around teenage arturo, his scarcely older stepmother nunziatella and his mostly absent father who keeps everybody. On a small island in the tyrrhenian sea there lives a boy as innocent as a seabird. Elsa morante s novels were once considered the greatest of italys postwar generation. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. This quiet, meandering existence is upended when his father brings home a 16yearold bride. When his father returns with a new wife barely older than his son, arturo responds with contempt. It is a tauter, less sprawling novel, but this relatively slightness in page numbers does not mean that it is a. Elsa morante s arturo s island, about a boys comingofage in the years before world war ii, has been newly translated by ann goldstein, who brought elena ferrantes novels into. A novel kindle edition published february 19th 2019 by liveright kindle edition, 384 pages. At times disturbing, at times very moving, arturos island by elsa morante, translated into english by anna goldstein, is a fascinating study of a young man reared by a frequently absent father.
Blackclad women care for him, give him the freedom to come and go as he likes. Alfred kazin morante is a storyteller who spellbinds. This time, however, they are memoirs of a childhood and confusions of first love which makes arturo s island by elsa morante a comingofage novel. Buy arturo s island by elsa morante online at alibris. Once considered the greatest writer of italys postwar generation and admired by authors as varied as john banville and rivka galchen elsa morante is experiencing a literary renaissance, marked not least by ann goldsteins translation of arturo s island, the novel that brought morante international fame. A wonderful airy, happy, witty story, set on a small mediterranean island where in april the sea is. On the island of procida off the coast of naples lives arturo, a motherless adolescent who is accustomed to solitude and spends his time lost in books or. By turns devastating and otherworldly, morantes novel is a classic, and goldsteins new translation should return to it the attention. Arturo s island picador classics by elsa morante and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The following is from ann goldsteins translation of elsa morante s novel arturo s island, which follows the adolescent arturo through his days on the isolated neapolitan island of procida, where he roams the countryside and reads in his familys lonely, dilapidated mansion. Arturo s island, written in the first person, is the narration by arturo gerace, now an adult, of his memories of his childhood on the island of procida. Arturos initiation to the tragedies and mediocrities of adulthood is contained within the geographical space of a beautiful southern island, procida, where he is born and raised. Arturo s mother died in childbirth and his wayward father wilhelm rarely returns to the island.
Arturo s behaviour and beliefs, even when irrational, feel kosher. Then the father returns with a new wife, nunziata, a girl barely older than arturo. Morante s style might seem oldfashioned, at first, to contemporary readers, but theyd do well to overcome that initial impression. Once considered the greatest writer of italys postwar generationand admired by authors as varied as john banville and rivka galchen elsa morante is experiencing a literary renaissance, marked not least by ann goldsteins translation of arturo s island, the novel that brought morante international fame. But soon his anger is replaced by emotions he does not understand. This novel, for which she won the strega prize, is notable for its delicate lyricism and its mingling of realistic detail with an air of unreality. This time, however, they are memoirs of a childhood and confusions of first love which makes arturos island by elsa morante a comingofage novel. Arturos island audiobook by elsa morante, ann goldstein.
Arturos island av elsa morante heftet tanum nettbokhandel. The summed up content sounds like a realist novel, but while it is a realist novel, it is novel by a writer who writes like a modern tolstoy. The books themes incest, misogyny, narcissism, homosexuality. Lisola di arturo is a novel by italian author elsa morante. A novel italia and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Lisola di arturo, arturo s island, is elsa morante s second novel. Arturos island, examines a boys growth from childhood dreams to the painful disillusions of adulthood.
Elsa morantes arturos island, about a boys comingofage in the years. Now the book appears in a new translation by ann goldstein. Morante had, clearly, an impressive and empathetic understanding of humanity and its foibles. Arturo s early ramblings on the island have an unearthly quality, as ethereal as the later sections are grounded and precise. Buy arturo s island by elsa morante from amazons fiction books store. The story set on a small island off the coast of naples, italy, revolves around teenage arturo, his scarcely older stepmother nunziatella and his mostly absent father who keeps everybody including his son at a distance. Published in 1957, it won the premio strega plot synopsis.
Buy arturo s island new edition by elsa morante, i. As arturo narrates the story of his childhood in a small italian island, readers experience wonder, frustration, sadness, disappointment, and hope. Books go search hello select your address best sellers todays deals new releases customer service gift ideas books gift cards electronics home computers sell. The first time i picked up the italian writer elsa morantes 1957 novel arturos island, in this new translation by ann goldstein, the gifted translator of elena ferrante s novels into english, i. Elsa morante put into the book what few male writers worldwide in the fifties were daring to write. Once considered the greatest writer of italys postwar generation and admired by authors as varied as john banville and rivka galchen elsa morante is experiencing a literary renaissance, marked not least by ann goldsteins translation of.
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