Customer Reviews

Tragedy of Childhood

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This is a gem of a book that is very much like a diary, if not therapy sessions. The book is divided into topics on which "Savinio" expels remembrances of things past. It is a bit like the novel "Carrots" by Jules Renard, if only in temperament. The theme of the book is put forth near the beginning when he writes: "How can it be denied that our parents' deepest joy feeds on the sufferings of us children?" Admittedly, this is not entirely accessible material. If one is interested in psychology (such as Alice Miller's work) and the essence of art and what kind of person is inclined to make art, this book speaks to that. Elsewhere he writes: "Why are we not more astonished by the annihilation of the will that the educator practices on the child?" Still elsewhere: "Every memory, be it only the shadow of a reminiscence of what childhood was, is the pitilessly cruel confirmation that life, by law, is a defeat." Overall, it is a very sad, angry, and truthful book, that questions the morality of education and self-proclaimed civilized society. ...Keep in mind that this book was first published in 1937, but was first drafted, in part, in 1919. WAY ahead if its time.