Italian Session -- May 2009
The Book:
Stefano Benni's enormously popular and distinctive mix of the absurd and the satirical has made him one of Italy's best-loved novelists. This is his twelfth bestselling book of fiction. Fifteen-year-old Margherita lives with her eccentric family on the outskirts of town, a semi-urban wilderness peopled by gypsies, illegal immigrants, and no end of bizarre characters: a reassuring and fertile playground for an imaginative little girl like Margherita. But one day, a gigantic, black cube shows up next door. Her new neighbors have arrived, and they're destined to ruin everything.
About the Author:
Stefano Benni is widely considered one of Italy's foremost novelists. His trademark mix of biting social satire and magical realism has turned each of his books into a national bestseller. His many novels include: Bar Sport, The Company of Celestini, The Cafe Beneath the Sea and now the remarkably successful Margherita Dolce Vita. Benni is also the author of several volumes of essays and poetry and many collections of short stories. He lives in Bologna, Italy.
The Reviews:
The Independent: "This plunge into blackness is too abrupt, but the journey has been fun. Margherita is a hugely engaging character, and the novel trips along in a lively jumble of jokes, puns and neologisms that must have presented a huge challenge to the translator, and to which Anthony Shugaar has risen with aplomb. Imagine an episode of
The Simpsons scripted by Italo Calvino. If that sounds even vaguely appealing, then you're going to love
Margherita Dolce Vita." - Shaun Whiteside.
The New York Times Book Review: "Thanks to Stefano Benni and his translator, Antony Shugaar, we have a renewed appreciation of the imagination's ability to free us from our increasingly mundane surroundings." - Andrew Ervin.
Sunday Telegraph: "Just the thing to wake you from wintry hibernation, this book is a firecracker. The world of
Margherita Dolce Vita jumps from the page into three-dimensional life, fizzing with wit and wisdom. (...) What makes this such an exhilarating ride is the language, full of zip and zing, in a tremendous translation by Anthony Shugaar." - Harriet Paterson.
The Guardian: "As loyal readers of Stefano Benni might expect, his new novel is a lively, whimsical and furiously contemporary satire, which can and should be enjoyed on its own merits." - Jonathan Coe.
Stefano Benni's enormously popular and distinctive mix of the absurd and the satirical has made him one of Italy's best-loved novelists. This is his twelfth bestselling book of fiction. Fifteen-year-old Margherita lives with her eccentric family on the outskirts of town, a semi-urban wilderness peopled by gypsies, illegal immigrants, and no end of bizarre characters: a reassuring and fertile playground for an imaginative little girl like Margherita. But one day, a gigantic, black cube shows up next door. Her new neighbors have arrived, and they're destined to ruin everything.