Customer Reviews

Heretical Empiricism

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book, a collection of essays by the multi-talented, brilliant, amazing, eclectic, true Renaissance man Pier Paolo Pasolini, is back in print after a very long hiatus being in the out of print wilderness. It is an incredibly comprehensive book of Pasolini's literary output. Pasolni is mainly known in the US as a filmmaker (and mostly for his still controversial, shocking film Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom), but he was much, much more than that. He was a celebrated and villified playwright, novelist, poet, essayist, political activist, and cultural critic. As the introduction by Ben Lawton states, Pasolini was very similar to the cultural critics of our day all rolled into one. He was villified by both left and right, and he was usually right in his criticisms of both sides, even though he was a Communist (though he was expelled from the PCI, the Italian Communist Party, in 1949). He was/is an immensely complex man, a true intellectual who also knew about life (something Maria Callas had said about him during their filming of Medea).

This compliation has many great essays, but the most important ones (to me, at least) are the "repudiation of the Trilogy of Life", a repudiation of Pasolini's three film, The Decameron, The Cantebury Tales, and Arabian Nights, which were his 3 most commercially successful films. Pasolini's repudiation is well thought out, and makes sense, even though I still enjoyed those 3 films immensely. In fact, they were the first 3 films of his I saw. I also admire his epic poem "The PCI to the Young!", and its "explaination" afterwards.

There are 30 essays here, printed in a wonderful edition which is an absolute must for any Pasolini admirer, and a must for anyone interested in Italian culture and politics. This book is a magnificent example of the complexity and genius of Pasolini, and for those who only know him for the film Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom, should read this book (and read Barth David Schwarz's excellent biography, Pasolini Requiem) so they can get a glimpse of one of the greatest artistic, intellectual minds that Italy ever produced.