Customer Reviews

The Abruzzo Trilogy: Fontamara, Bread and Wine, The Seed Beneath the Snow (v. 1-3)

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Silone's trilogy of novels about the rural Abruzzo region of Italy under fascist rule is beautifully written (and beautifully translated by Alexander Stille--a bad translaot can ruin a great work of literature). I can't quite put my finger out what it is, but there is something captivating about the prose. The three novels in this collection are also deeply political--but without being didactic, which is no easy feat. If you're trying to convey a message through fiction, it's all too easy to fall into using cardboard cut-out characters who hit you over the head with a message. This never happens in Silone's work, not once. Many authors, for instance, would be tempted to romanticize the cafoni, the down-trodden peasants of the area. Far from doing this, Silone shows the ways in which their oppression has made many of the cafoni bitter, greedy and envious. Neither is Silone's depiction of the cafoni entirely negative though--some of them are remarkable (particularly Berardo in the first novel Fontamara) and most are too grounded to be taken in by ideological abstractions. The main character of the second two novels, Pietro Spina, is a decent man, a former member of the Communist Party who has gone underground and, as he has had time to reflect on things, has drifted away from the party, seeing how its authoritiarianism and dogmatism stands at odds with the ideals it proclaims--but Spina still holds onto his socialist beliefs after some fashion. As Stille explains in his introduction (the first introduction to major literary work I haven't found dull), this reflects Silone's own life experiences. Interestingly though, Spina never becomes a mouthpiece for Silone's own Christian socialist beliefs--they are articulated in more subtle ways throughout the trilogy. This is a political novel in which there is no black and white, but only shades of grey; and in which human friendship is more important than anything else.

Fontamara (at least) has another virtue, in addition to those cited by other reviewers: it's a pretty good text for practicing your Italian. Fairly simple language, straightforward grammar. Some street-talk and jargon but not a lot and hey, that's what learning is about. Some cute bits of peasant black humor to keep things moving. Not the edition here, of course: this one is in English. But there is a nifty Italian edition available from Manchester University Press in England (ISBN 0-7190-0662-7) with helpful notes and an excellent glossary by Judy Rawson.

Good writing about the trials and tribulations of Italian peasants in the '20's and '30's. Book one (Fontamara) introduces the Italian 'cafoni' -- illiterate and ignorant of the world outside their mountain village, they nevertheless show a humble, earthy wisdom and suspicion of how the government interacts with them. 'Bread and Wine' introduces the main character, a communist who is ill and hiding out in another mountain village. This book and the third installment deal with larger social issues. The books are an interesting read -- the pace is gentle and engaging.

this major work deserves to be better known. it depicts the struggles of the people of Italy for human survival, under terrible circumstances.

For my Italian class I was reading the trilogy in Italian. I used the English translation (excellent by the way) to check my understanding after I had read the original. These stories were written before and after the rise of Fascism and World War II and explain the political turmoil well. The main character is very complex and not particularly sympathetic, but well worth the time spent in reading.

Dear sir,

I want to get the "bread and Wine" book. the Book is made by Ignazio silone. I have the book but it hasn't some pages. 31-32 pages are lost. I would be very thankful if you send me a that pages.

yours truly

shanika