Due cose ho letto di Baricco. Questo libretto che gioca con l'assurdo e le verità profonde i cui contrari sono pure verità profonde; e quella ridicola Iliade senza dei, in cui però l'indovino già nella seconda pagina si affatica a spiegare le frecce di Apollo senza citare Apollo.Eppure mi decantano tutti Baricco. Si vede che ho letto i due libri sbagliati. ( )

Short but intense story ( )

Gioca il gioco delle aspettative: mi aspettavo un capolavoro e invece è bello ma non indispensabile... Alla fine è una commedia e sarebbe bello vederla rappresentata, ascoltare la musica magica. Magari un giorno...

Novecento : pianiste by Alessandro Baricco
Un monologue
This is a French translation of an Italian novella by Alessandro Baricco originally published in 1994. Barrico is a well known writer and film director in his native Italy and many of his books have been translated into French. Currently his monologue of Novecento is being performed on stage by a famous french actor André Dussollier with the backing of several jazz musicians.

The story is told by a trumpet player Tim Tooney who gets a job on board The Virginian a large ship that criss crosses the Atlantic. The year is 1927 and he has a strange story to tell of the pianist in the ship's band who becomes his best friend. Novecento (the pianist) was born in the year 1900 and he was born on the Virginian and left behind by one of the third class steerage passengers. He was found by a sailor in an empty fruit box with the following stamped on the outside Danny Boodman T.D Lemon Novecento which became his name. The sailor brought up Novecento and when he died Novecento remained on board with no papers to say he existed. The Captain decided he must get Novecento registered the next time the boat docked in Southampton for a refit, but they could not find Novecento, only when the ship was back on the high seas did Novecento reappear and he was found in the ballroom playing the piano. He learnt to play the songs he heard from the immigrants on their way to America and he became a legend being able to improvise and play in the band.

Jelly Roll Morton self styled KIng of Jazz booked a passage so he could challenge Novecento to a cutting competition. Novecento made a fool of him without realising what it was all about. Another part of the legend was that Novecento had never set foot on dry land, he continued to live his life on board the ship, a prodigy of sorts who did not exist through lack of registration. Apart from his music all that he knew came from the people who travelled on the boat, the first class passengers down to those in steerage, his life in some respects was lived through others.

Baricco spins the legend of Novecento to a brief 80 odd pages, but it is full of music with a main theme of the limitations of ones existence. Novecento says why should he leave the boat, he has everything he needs, more of anything would just lead to confusion. Baricco writes in lively style interplaying with the music that serves as a background to this rather sad little tale. 3.5 stars ( )

"Efter att ha levt trettiotvå år på havet, skulle han gå iland, för att se på havet."

Jag hade svårt att sova en natt, och detta kändes som en kort men bra läsning att fördriva tiden med. Det visade sig vara helt korrekt. Det är en mysig, fin men mystisk berättelse om en oceanpianist vars liv definitivt bör läsas om. Speciellt om man har svårt att sova någon natt. ( )