Thank you for lending it to me.
I got the impression, though, that he had been resisting all along. Surely it is no surprise that the two "good Catholic writers" are among those speaking out? I got a sense that it is more his way of presenting it that marks him as apolitical. Or the fact that his resistance is pretending to be apolitical. To me, it is more a movement from covert to overt resistance.
The fact that it was published in Italy makes it rather difficult to not see it in relation to Berlusconi's increasing control of the Italian media. I think 1994 was his first year in office, but he already had a media empire. This may all be hindsight.
I agree.
I want to get my hands on the original, as well. I kept wondering whether there would be greater differences between the writing styles of Pereira and Rossi, for example.
Who do you think the narrator is?
I have two theories: a member of the regime or some sort of St. Peter figure. Or some incorporeal narrator floating above, as Pereira tells his story to an old Portuguese man in a bar somewhere in France later on? I suppose on the whole it does not really matter, but the alternatives change the tenor slightly. In part because , as you said, Pereira's fate is left in the air.
I suppose you already get closure through his actions.
It gave me a weird craving for lemon water.
I have
It is Lisbon, 1938, and Dr Pereira maintains that he wants nothing to do with politics, for getting involved in European politics in the 1930s is a dangerous thing to do. But when he hires an assistant for the Culture section of the evening paper he works for – the Lisboa – he is reluctantly drawn into a world of revolution and counter-revolution. As his carefully constructed isolationism crumbles, Pereira’s political awakening creeps into his work, culminating in a daring act that changes everything.
I got the impression, though, that he had been resisting all along. Surely it is no surprise that the two "good Catholic writers" are among those speaking out? I got a sense that it is more his way of presenting it that marks him as apolitical. Or the fact that his resistance is pretending to be apolitical. To me, it is more a movement from covert to overt resistance.
Pereira Maintains is Canongate’s new edition of Sostiene Pereira by Antonio Tabucchi, which was published in Italy in 1994 to great acclaim. It’s a story of fear, courage, corruption, change, and a man’s love for his dead wife. It’s a story where inconsequential-seeming things have great significance, where self-deception turns into self-awareness. It’s a story of growth and loss. It’s a story of great beauty.
The fact that it was published in Italy makes it rather difficult to not see it in relation to Berlusconi's increasing control of the Italian media. I think 1994 was his first year in office, but he already had a media empire. This may all be hindsight.
Patrick Creagh’s translation was previously published as Declares Pereira and I think the change is an important one. “Pereira maintains” gives a feeling of interrogation, or a man trying to convince others (and perhaps himself) that this is exactly how events took place. “Pereira declares” seems to carry more confidence than the character has in the book, so doesn’t work as well for me.
I agree.
This is a book where word choice is important. It’s a slim novel – 195 pages of large text in this edition – so it seems like each word has been carefully chosen. (I’d love to be able to read the original to see how well this translation bears up.) Despite this economy of language, the titular phrase is repeated frequently throughout the book. Initially it was a little irritating as Pereira maintains some very commonplace things – the kind of omelette he has for lunch, the fact he sweated because of a hot day – and I tend to dislike repetition, but after a couple of chapters it felt rather lyrical. It also gave the strong impression that this book is, perhaps, a report of an interview with the suspect of a crime, or an article in a newspaper, and it made me wonder who was to be convinced by the stressing of these phrases. Is it the reader, a detective, or Pereira himself? And taken with the ending of the book, it also creates an impression of continuation: what happens to Pereira once this tale is told?
I want to get my hands on the original, as well. I kept wondering whether there would be greater differences between the writing styles of Pereira and Rossi, for example.
Who do you think the narrator is?
I have two theories: a member of the regime or some sort of St. Peter figure. Or some incorporeal narrator floating above, as Pereira tells his story to an old Portuguese man in a bar somewhere in France later on? I suppose on the whole it does not really matter, but the alternatives change the tenor slightly. In part because , as you said, Pereira's fate is left in the air.
I don’t usually like books that have such a wide-open ending. I want to know the outcome of a character’s actions; I want some closure. But it works so well here. It’s lovely to think that there’s a life of possibility for a 60-something widower, even though that possibility includes unpleasantness.
I suppose you already get closure through his actions.
Pereira Maintains is one of the best books I’ve read this year. It’s a huge novel contained in a small book, and it’s a very satisfying read. I can’t find fault with it. The next time I read it I’d like to be sitting in a café with a tall glass of lemonade and some quiet jazz playing in the background. Or maybe seated in a cosy chair by the fire with a red wine. Either way would be perfect.
It gave me a weird craving for lemon water.
Read it.
I have
*MySmiley*
structured procrastinator
structured procrastinator
PEREIRA MAINTAINS by Antonio Tabucchi: a powerful, perfect novel.
- 07/12/2010 11:26:10 PM
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It sounds interesting
- 07/12/2010 11:35:31 PM
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It was lovely.
- 11/03/2011 08:45:29 AM
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