Written through clenched teeth

I’ve read the four volumes of ’My Brilliant Friend’ not long after their release in Italian. I remember the experience only vaguely: two ragazze from Naples, the one diligent, loveable and brave, the other, the ’brilliant one’ being greedy and wicked and overrated and depressing and full of allures: disgust at first sight. I remember the characters were painfully stereotypical, always int he middle of a quarrel and handling their problems shouting in the top of their lungs or throwing heavy domestic objects upon each others’ head. And I remember the exquisite prose, the heavenly structure and the excited pleasure of waiting for the next volume.

’My Brilliant Friend’ could be happily written by any Spanish author: the total lacking of humor, the overdose of mindless passion and exhausting pseudo-intellectual, pseudo-psychological pondering is not first hand Italian matter. The Spanish translation is simply celestial and I can taste again the joy of reading this fine fine novel quartet. I will follow Elena and Lila on their way in Spanish and non obstant the irregularities of the storytelling, I will certainly find my pleasures in this audio edition wit the hypnotic voice of Mercé Montalá.

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