The Edge of the Horizon [Hardcover]

Antonio Tabucchi (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Tabucchi's fourth work to be translated into English functions as both a surrealistic mystery novel and a philosophical inquiry into the nature of existence. But muddy writing and a badly conceptualized story line prevents it from realizing that magical quality achieved so effortlessly by Calvino, with whom the author can be compared. Spino, a mortuary worker whose name, Tabucchi coyly admits, is an abbreviation of Spinoza, becomes intrigued when the corpse of a young man who went by the pseudonym "Carlo Nobodi" is brought into the morgue. Although he was killed in a bloody gun battle with police, it is unclear whether Carlo was part of a criminal gang or only an unlucky bystander. Spino fixates on the mystery surrounding the young man's short life and death, and determines to learn as much as he can. A series of palpable yet baffling clues--an old photograph, a jacket that belonged to Carlo's father--leads Spino figuratively and literally to the outskirts of the Italian underworld, a realm he must enter to complete his discovery, in this promising but yet ultimately frustrating work.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Language Notes

Text: English, Italian (translation)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 83 pages
• Publisher: New Directions (May 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811211126
• ISBN-13: 978-0811211123
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,565,499 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who is the dead young man?, August 5, 2000

By 

M. J. Smith (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Edge of the Horizon (Hardcover)

This book is one of the more enigmatic of Tabucchi's. Spino, who works for a morgue, is a man unwilling to make a commitment to marriage while enjoying a long-term relationship, a man unwilling to finish his medical degree and "make something of himself". On evening, a young unidentified body "Carlo Nobodi" is brought to the morgue - the victim of a police raid / shootout. Spino becomes obsessed with identifying the person and traces Carlo back to his school days without truly succeeding at putting a person or family behind the name.

The story is part detective story - tracing an identity through a priest that befriended Carlo, through the jacket he wore that had been given to his father (uncle?), through the small boarding school in which Carlo resided, and through Spino's connections in the seamy underside of the port. Memory, dreams, death and commitment all wind their way through the plot.

This is another fine book by Tabucchi which forces one to consider connections, life, death and identity. I recommend it.

5.0 out of 5 stars Tabucchi's works are settled on the margins that are not a, November 12, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Edge of the Horizon (Hardcover)

Tabucchi's works are settled on the margins that are not a limit, but instead carry within possibilities, they allow characters, events and situations to turn into their opposites in accordance to the dim and creative field of his fantasy. During an ingenuous first reading, his books are infinitely enjoyable, but yet much more joyful for those who accept sharing Tabucchi's position on the margins of literature and philosophy in a fruitful and co-creative dialogue with the author.

1 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tabucchi's works are settled on the margins that are not a, November 12, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Edge of the Horizon (Hardcover)

Tabucchi's works are settled on the margins that are not a limit, but instead carry within possibilities, they allow characters, events and situations to turn into their opposites in accordance to the dim and creative field of his fantasy. During an ingenuous first reading, his books are infinitely enjoyable, but yet much more joyful for those who accept sdharing Tabucchi's position on the margins of literature and philosophy in a fruitful and co-creative dialogue with the author.