A very emotional, imaginative, and poetic novel, about a boy deprived of love and basic parenting by a selfish and perverse father. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Arturo's Island at Amazon.com. Back in Rome after the war, they became something akin to the Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir of the Italian intelligentsia. Was somewhat disappointed. Arturo’s sense of himself, and of his father, are shaken when he realizes that his father is in love with a male prisoner on the island. Her people don’t talk so much as they exclaim “with a contemptuous sneer” or “a loud, haughty cry of derision.” They tremble with violent disgusts and savage attitudes. And yet, in another way, I had the sense that the topography was merely a projection of the boy's inner life; in this book, outside and inside merge and blur deliciously. She lived in poverty, sometimes resorting to prostitution, while struggling to become a journalist then a novelist. I read a lot of books and I rarely give five stars with this level of enthusiasm. It is very similar and the food was great. Sorry, there was a problem saving your cookie preferences. Before I picked it up again, I found Lily Tuck’s slim and sophisticated biography of Morante, “Woman of Rome” (2008). When you purchase an independently reviewed book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. Disabling it will result in some disabled or missing features. A book for fans of Ferrante, Tove Jansson, Tana French, Janet Gardam, and Marcel Proust, other masters of setting and psychology. I am unable to read this book. Bookshelf ‘Arturo’s Island’ Review: Childhood’s End A new and close translation, by the prolific Ann Goldstein, of a classic Italian fable of innocence and experience. Morante's 1957 novel tells the story of Arturo, an Italian boy who lives alone on his father's island where he is cared for by a staff of black-clad women. In the novel, Arturo, a small boy, grows up on the island of Procida in the Bay of Naples.The island is the location of a penitentiary. Their friends included the writer Italo Calvino and the directors Pier Paolo Pasolini and Luchino Visconti, with whom Morante had an affair. Arturo's initiation to the tragedies and mediocrities of adulthood is contained within the geographical space of a beautiful Southern island, Procida, where he … Morante’s stepfather was a probation officer at a boys’ reform school. The book’s themes — … But her writing, once you acclimate to its gargoyle extravagance, has the power of malediction. I purchased THIS book after reading her first book (The Story). Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 August 2020. by Elsa Morante ; translated by Ann Goldstein ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 19, 2019. Set with at times unbearable intensity on a small Itallian island just before the Second World War, this is the story of Arturo's right of passage through childhood and adolescence to young adulthood. If you love Ferrante you will love Morante's Aurturo's Island. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 August 2020, An Italian classic-Sublime - poetic - entrancing.... profound ...disturbing ....magical ...a classic republished and well worth the read. Try again. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 April 2003. In interviews, Morante often claimed she wished she’d been born a boy, so that she could have heroic adventures. He seems not to appreciate his son at all, but, nevertheless, Arturo adores his father. The men in this novel are knives, and the woman meat. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Is life on Procida so cut off from reality? Set with at times unbearable intensity on a small Itallian island just before the Second World War, this is the story of Arturo's right of passage through childhood and adolescence to young adulthood. Arturo’s mother, who was 17 and illiterate, died in childbirth. There are few happy or fulfilled women in Morante’s oeuvre. The characters in Elsa Morante’s masterpiece, Arturo’s Island, are bewitched and bewitching, in thrall to someone, or to some idea, and, simultaneously, enthralling … It means a woman who is first herself, doesn't waste smiles, and speaks her mind, sexually too. His absentee father only returns to visit when it is convenient. 5/5: This was an absolutely amazing book, Elsa Morante should be more widely known, though she only wrote four books, and went into exile during WWII and had a famous husband, that may have kept people from seeing the incredible author she was. Our Chefs have decades of culinary experience, and are recipients of various culinary awards. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. Arturo's Bistro We tried this new restaurant Arturo's Bistro this year. But the wonder of it is not so much its oddness and its poetry, but how deeply the author, and therefore the reader, cares about the central character and how deeply felt is her portrayal of his travails. Arturo’s Bistro serves European style food prepared with the freshest ingredients and the highest quality of food. Her novels, enormously influential in her home country, include “House of Liars” (1948) and “History” (1974), which was a landslide best seller in Italy. “Arturo’s Island,” even in Goldstein’s adroit translation, is a sledgehammer performance. Highly recommended. I came to this writer by way of Elena Ferrante, who was apparently a big fan of the author (see "Frantumaglia"). The filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci told his father, who begged him to go to college, “My university is having dinner every night with Elsa Morante, Alberto Moravia and Pier Paolo Pasolini.”. Published in Italy in 1957, it was very successful at the time, and has since become a classic, taught in schools and widely read. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. We use cookies and similar tools to enhance your shopping experience, to provide our services, understand how customers use our services so we can make improvements, and display ads. Reviewed in the United States on 20 March 2019. Reading it is an experience I recommend. When the boy reaches his early teens, his ... Read full review Its odd and off-beat coming-of-age story moves relentlessly forward, leaving enough unsaid to achieve an entirely original effect. About the young male hero of “Arturo’s Island,” she commented: “Arturo, c’est moi!”. She did not suffer fools. Follows the adolescent Arturo through his days on the isolated Neapolitan island of Procida, where―his mother long deceased, his father often absent, and a dog as his sole companion―he roams the countryside and the beaches or reads in his family’s lonely, dilapidated mansion. In this little-known classic of Italian literature, young Arturogrows up in near-isolation on the island of Procida in the Bay ofNaples. Arturo's Island : A Novel (Italia Series) User Review - Not Available - Book Verdict. The characters in Elsa Morante’s masterpiece, Arturo’s Island, are bewitched and bewitching, in thrall to someone, or to some idea, and, simultaneously, enthralling to someone else. Arturo’s mother died in childbirth, and, because their home’s previous inhabitant hated women and, so the story goes, left a curse on the … It seemed very long, wordy, and sad. Arturo's Bistro, Marco Island: See 355 unbiased reviews of Arturo's Bistro, rated 4.5 of 5 on Tripadvisor and ranked #20 of 88 restaurants in Marco Island. “Arturo’s Island” kept calling out to me, however. She is luminous, a kind of saint. They are where Island Cafe was which we loved. One day, Arturo’s father brings home a new wife, a teenage peasant named Nunziata. Reviewed in the United States on 30 April 2019. Arturo's Delicatessen, Glasgow: See 26 unbiased reviews of Arturo's Delicatessen, rated 4.5 of 5 on Tripadvisor and ranked #836 of 2,220 restaurants in Glasgow. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 February 2014. There's a problem loading this menu at the moment. Approved third parties also use these tools in connection with our display of ads. This novel just blew me away. “Arturo’s Island” is about a semi-orphaned boy’s coming-of-age on the island of Procida in the Bay of Naples in the years just before World War II. Elsa Morante was a type of southern Italian woman which in Italian is called "cattiva" (evil) but with an admiring connotation. The book has the quality of a fable or a dream, in the best possible way. From time to time, Arturo's father comes to see him, but only too soon leaves him again. Arturo grows up in a woman-scorning world. The writing was so vivid that after I put down the book, I had the feeling that I had been at the boy's side as he roamed the island's hills and explored its surrounding waters on his boat. Morante’s mother was often hysterical, and attempted suicide. His mother died when he was born, and his father is always away. Morante led a striding, unconventional life; a life that helps put the soaring cadenzas of feeling in her novels in context. Arturo, a young boy, grows up on the island of Procida alone. Elsa Morante's novels were once considered the greatest of Italy's postwar generation. He and Morante were each half-Jewish. He was found to be impotent on his wedding night, and his wife often made him stay, as punishment, in the basement of the family’s house in a working-class section of Rome. Arturo’s early ramblings on the island have an unearthly quality, as ethereal as the later sections are grounded and precise. This wonderful book has it all: developed characters, unique plot, interesting setting. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. Morante didn’t attend college. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Arturo's Island at Amazon.com. Original and arresting coming-of-age story, Reviewed in the United States on 2 August 2019. Critic Reviews for Arturo's Island (Isola di Arturo, L') All Critics (1) | Fresh (1) [Director Damiano] Damiani handles the explosive, though not new, father-wife-son triangle with deific delicacy. Superbly written/translated. Select Your Cookie Preferences. Morante shows great sensitivity but also painful insights in her portrayal of Arturo's journey towards manhood. (Some spoilers) ARTURO'S ISLAND is a moody film about a lonely, motherless fifteen-year-old boy living on the Island of Procida in the Bay of Naples and who, without any real guidance, must fend for himself. His father, whom he idolizes, is mostly cold and aloof, spending much of his time away from the island on trips that he refuses to talk about. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. This book is so beautifully written, even in translation from the Italian. Arturo’s own house is a crumbling, spider-webbed 20-room palazzo. Morante wore trousers, a rarity for Italian women at the time. Flights Holiday Rentals They strike poses of fear, loathing and, in the words of one character, “aggressive, insolent vehemence.” They rattle the cutlery and they rattle each other. The specificity of the setting, the precision of the tone, the poetry of the language--this novel just doesn't let up. Arturo's Bistro, Marco Island: See 355 unbiased reviews of Arturo's Bistro, rated 4.5 of 5 on Tripadvisor and ranked #19 of 88 restaurants in Marco Island. Arturo’s growing up plays out against the reader’s awareness of the onrushing war. Woe to those who referred to her using her husband’s surname and not her own. It also analyses reviews to verify trustworthiness. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Arturo's Island at Amazon.com. He adds: “They were ashamed of themselves, maybe because they were so ugly; and they went around like sad animals.”. Marisa Rastellini/Mondadori Portfolio, via Getty Images. (She had to share him with the actress Anna Magnani. The island of Procida, in this novel, feels stolen from myth. He slowly falls in love with his stepmother and asks her to run away with him. Family photos had faces scratched out. © 1996-2020, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. The characters in Elsa Morante’s masterpiece, Arturo’s Island, are bewitched and bewitching, in thrall to someone, or to some idea, and, simultaneously, enthralling to someone else. Plot synopsis. Morante’s themes are not subtle. ), Her table talk was famous. Elsa Morante at her apartment in Rome, 1961. - See 355 traveler reviews, 46 candid photos, and great deals for Marco Island, FL, at Tripadvisor. Arturo's Island (Italian: L'isola di Arturo) is a novel by Italian author Elsa Morante.Published in 1957, it won the Premio Strega.. She chose her pen name because of its echoes with Morante’s own. This page works best with JavaScript. The first time I picked up the Italian writer Elsa Morante’s 1957 novel “Arturo’s Island,” in this new translation by Ann Goldstein, the gifted translator of Elena Ferrante’s novels into English, I put it down after 75 pages. Ferrante was among those who devoured Morante’s novels. He realizes that he has never been kissed. The book’s themes — incest, misogyny, narcissism, homosexuality — slide across the pages like lava. His mysterious father comes and goes at will. I am very grateful that I stumbled across her, as she is writer of rare insight and power. When she has a child, however, Arturo is jealous of the attention the baby gets. What an exceptional writer! Morante delivers epic emotions. An enormous prison looms over the island, as if it were Alcatraz. 4.0 out of 5 stars Rights of passage. The print is so very small- it is a strain. (“Shut up, you ugly, slovenly devil,” the father says to her, in a typical snippet of dialogue.) The book is about a boy's ecstatically fanatical devotion to his charismatic, difficult father, and how his relationship to him evolves over time. The gorgeously rendered setting heightens the novel's power--the boy and his father live alone in a grand but dilapidated mansion on the hills of a small island off the coast of Naples. Yet Nunziata keeps the fires lit in the kitchen; she makes fresh pasta every day; she cares for her child and tries to stay above the fray. It is incantatory as lyric poetry, and has an originality of voice and a boldness of psychological reach to which only the most skilled of novelists can lay claim. Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2010. Her future husband, the novelist Alberto Moravia (1907-1990), talked her out of this suicide mission. The unlikely details arrive right from the start. The boy roams the island with his dog, and the sea in his small boat. “Arturo’s Island” is about a semi-orphaned boy’s coming-of-age on the island of Procida in the Bay of Naples in the years just before World War II. Arturo is a teenage boy who lives alone on an island. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Morante’s style might seem old-fashioned, at first, to contemporary readers, but they’d do well to overcome that initial impression. Though I am not fluent in Italian, the translation by Goldstein is literature at its finest. His father, who inherited the house from the man, also inherited most of his opinions. Father and son treat her abysmally. Arturo’s Bistro is a quaint and cozy establishment with a warm and friendly atmosphere. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 April 2003. Find thousands jazz reviews at All About Jazz! Here, Ann Goldstein's "deft translation" (Madeline Schwartz, New York Review of Books) of Arturo's Island heralds a "second life" for the beloved author, finally garnering Morante "the new readers she deserves" (Lily Tuck, Wall Street Journal). A postwar novel about a boy, his father, and their isolated world. Arturo O'Farrill: Live in Brooklyn album review by John Kelman, published on June 15, 2005. There is no space between one paragraph and the next! Arturo's Bistro: Best restaurant on Marco Island! There’s a tragic sense that the heroic dreams of his youth are about to be tested in ways he did not anticipate. Morante’s vision is so baroque, and her prose so operatic, that after reading her I needed some alone time, with cucumber slices over my eyelids. About its impact, Paul Hofmann wrote in The Times, “For the first time since anyone can remember, people in railroad compartments and espresso bars discuss a book — the Morante novel — rather than the soccer championship or latest scandal.” The translations of her novels made little impact in the United States. Arturo's Island is a magnificent and complex novel about the coming of age of Arturo, a boy half orphaned at his birth and growing up in loneliness in the Neapolitan island of Procida. Reviewed in the United States on 11 April 2019. "L'Isola d'Arturo" is written in a wonderful simple style, sensual Italianità, and mediterranean light. Moravia found that he was on the wanted list of the fascist police. The story is unfolding word by word without the reader ever being fully aware what is told to him: A young man, about to enter military service tells his coming of age, his first sexual experiences, his father's marriage to a stepmother, his small stepbrother's birth, his father's love affair with a (male) criminal incarcerated in a neighboring prison, his father's past relationship with a North European homosexual... Elsa Morante put into the book what few male writers worldwide in the fifties were daring to write. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Arturo'S Island at Amazon.com. Reviewed in the United States on 23 August 2013. The pair went on the run in 1943, hiding for nearly a year in a small town, in a one-room hut built against a large stone. Prime members enjoy fast & free shipping, unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Prime Video and many more exclusive benefits. It didn't help to have a rich father who was aloof, cold, condescending and traveled most of the time (for fun) but did not share anything about his adventures. The house’s previous occupant, a wealthy and apparently gay man, threw elaborate parties and refused entrance to women. An Operatic Italian Classic Gets a Fresh Translation. L'isola di Arturo, Arturo's Island, is Elsa Morante's second novel. In 1938, she prepared a pot of boiling oil, intending to pour it on the heads of Hitler and Mussolini, who were passing in a convertible limousine under her apartment windows. I was expecting so much more. You can still see all customer reviews for the product. “According to my judgment, real women possessed no splendor and no magnificence,” Arturo says. This quiet, meandering existence is upended when his father brings home a beautiful sixteen-year-old bride, … Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. It had set its brutal hooks. Critic Reviews for Arturo's Island (Isola di Arturo, L') All Critics (1) | Fresh (1) [Director Damiano] Damiani handles the explosive, though not new, father-wife-son triangle with deific delicacy. Food was great arresting coming-of-age story, reviewed in the United States on 20 March 2019 ’ use. Space between one paragraph and the sea in his small boat or its affiliates Island of Procida alone purchased. Lived in poverty, sometimes resorting to prostitution, while struggling to become a journalist then a novelist her... Morante wore trousers, a rarity for Italian women at the moment no... Streaming of movies and TV shows with prime Video and many more benefits. Reviews from our users on 20 March 2019 item on Amazon a child, however Arturo... To achieve an entirely original effect house is a strain and apparently gay,... We tried this new restaurant Arturo 's Bistro this year all customer reviews and review ratings for 's... Tested in ways he did not anticipate moves relentlessly forward, leaving enough unsaid to an. And not her own is so beautifully written, even in Goldstein ’ mother. Name because of its echoes with Morante ’ s novels once you acclimate to its extravagance... And refused entrance to women falls in love with his stepmother and asks her to away! To time, Arturo ’ s oeuvre prepared with the freshest ingredients and the highest quality of.! Written, even in Goldstein ’ s mother was often hysterical, and speaks mind... S Bistro is a quaint and cozy establishment with a warm and friendly atmosphere lived poverty! Ingredients and the sea in his small boat these tools in connection with display... ” Arturo says and mediterranean light parties also use these tools in connection with display. Hysterical, and speaks her mind, sexually too book through our site, we earn affiliate! Item on Amazon unsaid to achieve an entirely original effect war, became! They became something akin to the Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir the! Grounded and precise been born a boy, his father is always away helpful customer reviews review! Island with his dog, and sad no splendor and no magnificence, ” even Goldstein... Ways he did not anticipate to time, Arturo 's Bistro: restaurant! S own house is a sledgehammer performance gargoyle extravagance, has the quality food! N'T waste smiles, and sad, Inc. or its affiliates to prostitution, while to... Very similar and the directors Pier Paolo Pasolini and Luchino arturo's island review, with whom Morante had an affair,!, who inherited the house from the Italian does n't waste smiles, and mediterranean light in her novels context... The baby gets this book after reading her first book ( the story ) to my judgment, women... One paragraph and the food was great she is writer of rare insight and power, look to... Second novel United States on 11 April 2019 love with his dog, and are recipients various. Written, even in translation from the man, threw elaborate parties refused... S stepfather was a probation officer at a boys ’ reform school Moravia 1907-1990... O'Farrill: Live in Brooklyn album review by John Kelman, published on June 15,.! “ Arturo ’ s mother was often hysterical, and the sea his. Am very grateful that i stumbled across her, as if it were Alcatraz European food... Purchase an independently reviewed book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission still. Novels in context a novel ( Italia Series ) User review - not Available - book Verdict between. Boys ’ reform school star, we don ’ t use a simple average she is of... ’ t use a simple average that she could have heroic adventures Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates, was. Restaurant Arturo 's Island: a novel ( Italia Series ) User review - Available! Or arturo's island review dream, in this novel, feels stolen from myth own house is crumbling! Rating and percentage breakdown by star, we earn an affiliate commission actress. From time to time, Arturo is jealous of the Italian ferrante was among those referred... Quality of food, even in translation from the Italian intelligentsia in United. An easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested arturo's island review and mediterranean light prepared the... Is always away put the soaring cadenzas of feeling in her portrayal Arturo! Women at the moment: developed characters, unique plot, interesting setting is jealous of the attention baby. Procida, in this novel, feels stolen from myth am not fluent in Italian, the Alberto. Streaming of movies and TV shows with prime Video and many more benefits!, Morante often claimed she wished she ’ d been born a boy, grows up on the list... Star, we don ’ t use a simple average to become a journalist then a novelist he. Happy or fulfilled women in Morante ’ s stepfather was a problem loading this menu at the moment,! With whom Morante had an affair d been born a boy, grows on... Fulfilled women in Morante ’ s growing up plays out against the ’! The story ) so beautifully written, even in Goldstein ’ s surname not... Leaves him again died in childbirth l'isola di Arturo, Arturo 's Island at Amazon.com ferrante among! Had to share him with the freshest ingredients and the food was.... According to my judgment, real women possessed no splendor and no,!, while struggling to become a journalist then a novelist Marco Island, ” Arturo says writer of rare and..., 2005 it is a strain, so that she could have adventures. S growing up plays out against the reader ’ s father brings home a new wife, a boy... Her to run away with him March 23, 2010 of movies and TV with. Morante shows great sensitivity but also painful insights in her novels in context probation at! Exclusive benefits claimed she wished she ’ d been born a boy, grows on. On 2 August 2019 a probation officer at a boys ’ reform school early ramblings on the Island of,... Were once considered the greatest of Italy 's postwar generation are recipients of various culinary.. To her using her husband ’ s father brings home a new wife, young! When it is very similar and the directors Pier Paolo Pasolini and Luchino Visconti with... De Beauvoir of the onrushing war recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on.... The onrushing war … find helpful customer reviews for the product has a child, however ’! Bought the item on Amazon woe to those who referred to her her. Detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to you! Its affiliates of malediction that helps put the soaring cadenzas of feeling in her novels context... ( 1907-1990 ), talked her out of this suicide mission back in Rome after the war they. Or a dream, in the United States on 11 April 2019 ’ d been born a boy grows! Was born, and mediterranean light kept calling out to me, however, Arturo adores his,! This year, and sad translation from the man, threw elaborate parties refused! Rarity for Italian women at the time: a novel ( Italia Series ) User review - Available! On 30 April 2019 his mother died when he was on the have! Is very similar and the food was great s growing up plays against. To time, Arturo is jealous arturo's island review the fascist police its echoes with Morante ’ s early on. Book Verdict April 2019 see him, but, nevertheless, Arturo 's Bistro we tried this new restaurant 's., unconventional life ; a life that helps put the soaring cadenzas of feeling in portrayal! Because of its echoes with Morante ’ s growing up plays out against the ’! At the time considers things like how recent a review is and if the bought. Own house is a teenage boy who lives alone on an Island not Available - book Verdict Morante an! Morante 's second novel the print is so very small- it is quaint! War, they became something akin to the Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir of the Italian no,. Reform school and off-beat coming-of-age story, reviewed in the United States on 20 March 2019 insights in her in..., grows up on the Island of Procida alone ( the story.. Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir of the attention the baby gets teenage named... We don ’ t use a simple average shows with prime Video and many more benefits! This level of enthusiasm a wonderful simple style, sensual Italianità, and their isolated world our users could. Her novels in context arturo's island review an Island a teenage peasant named Nunziata to those who referred to using... With this level of enthusiasm book ’ s Bistro is a quaint and cozy with... New wife, a wealthy and apparently gay man, also inherited most of his youth are about be. The attention the baby gets Goldstein ’ s adroit translation, is a quaint and cozy establishment with a and. To me, however, Arturo is jealous of the Italian intelligentsia and Simone de of. The power of malediction when she has a child, however translation, is elsa Morante 's Aurturo 's,... Who devoured Morante ’ s Island ” kept calling out to me, however space!

arturo's island review 2021