Powerful, enormously sad book about peasant life in southern Italy. As such, it reminded me of both Carlo Levi’s Christ Stopped at Eboli and Giovanni Verga’s House by the Medlar Tree. It’s different from those works in its unrelenting sadness and, in a way, its terrifying description of the life of the peasant farmers and their families. Corruption permeates society, the poor are ignored at best or trampled on by anyone and everyone else. Like all of Silone’s work, there is a constant underlying political theme but part of the success of the book, I think, is that he doesn’t overplay it. I can’t say I “enjoyed” the book but I’m glad I read it and would recommend it: it’s well worth the time. ( )

«L'abitato sembra un gregge di pecore scure e il campanile un pastore».
E forse in queste note iniziali c'è tutto il destino estremamente terreno e nefasto di un popolo povero e cafone, destinato a essere sottomesso, senza che l'opportunità di un eroismo autentico e giusto - rappresentato da Berardo Viola, personaggio difficile da dimenticare - possa cambiare le cose. Scritto nel 1930, in esilio e malattia, è libro importantissimo dell'impegno antifascista e della letteratura italiana tutta. Lettura che dovrebbe essere proposta nei percorsi scolastici. ( )

Klarigaj notoj de la tradukintoj (pp. 182-83). Por eviti maloportunajn tradukojn, ni preferis apliki kelkajn neologismojn. Cxi sube ni mencias ilin kun klarigoj:

centimo = centono de liro
fatamorgano = atmosfera trompbildo pro rompo de lumradioj
flako = fluida maseto
incendio = brulego, kauxzanta domagxon
kafono = malricxa, itala komparano
karmelito = monahxa ordenano, nomita laux la monto ,,Karmelo'' en Nord-Palestino
klientelo = kunigo de laboristoj, dependaj de labordonantoj
Koloseo = grandega, famkonata amfiteatro en Romo
kvintalo = pezo de cent kilogramoj
limono = speco de citrono
lustrumo = jarkvino
noveno = laux la katolika religio: dum 9 tagoj ripetata pregxado en pregxejo
pampo = stepo en Sud-Ameriko, precipe en Argentino
radio = la tekniko, kiu sin okupas per senfadena dissendo de sonoj pere de elektraj ondoj
salamo = kolbaso, pretigita per azena kaj bova viandoj kun ajlo
traturo = altaj vojoj en Apuglia kaj Abruzzo, kie oni pasxtas brutojn
tridumo = laux la katolika religio: dum 3 tagoj ripetata pregxeja ceremonio

La signifo de la italaj vortoj (p. 183), netradukitaj en la teksto, estas:

monsignor (monsinjor) = titolo de eklezia altrangulo
pasta asciutta (pasta asiuta) = mangxajxo el makarono kun tomata sauxco
pasatella (pasatela) = itala popola ludo
podesta = (latina ,,potestas'' = potenco) de 1926a ofica titolo de estro de itala komunumo (escepte de Romo)
refrattario (refratario) = ribelulo, malobeulo
sindaco (sindako) = anyaux la fasxisma regximo, komunumestro, elektita per vocxdonado

La signifo de la latinaj vortoj (pp. 183-84) estas:

Ave Maria = Estu salutata, Maria
Consumatum est = Estas finite
Ita missa est = La meso finigxis
Per omnia saecula saeculorum = Dum cxiuj centoj da jarcentoj
Regina Coeli = Regxino de l' cxielo (en la teksto evidente nomo de societo)
Regina Pacis, ora pro nobis = Regxino de la paco, pregxu por ni
Quod factum est, factum est = Kio faktis, estas fakto
Propitius esto, parce nobis, Domine = Favoro Vi estu, indulgu nin, Sinjoro
Propitius esto, exaudi nos, Domine = Favoro Vi estu, auxskultu nin, Sinjoro
Ab ogni malo, libera nos, Domine = El cxia malbono, savu nin, Sinjoro
Ab ogni peccato, libera nos, Domine = El cxia peko savu nin, Sinjoro
Ab ira tua, libera nos, Domine = El Via kolero, savu nin, Sinjoro
A subitanea et improvisa morte, libera nos, Domine = Kontraux subita kaj neatendita morto, protektu nin, Sinjoro
A spiritu fornicationis, libera nos, Domine = Kontraux la spirito de l' malcxasteco, protektu nin, Sinjoro

Fontamara is a political novel with a very clear agenda. It was first published in 1930 when Ignazio Silone (Secondo Tranquilli) was in political exile in Switzerland, and at the simplest level it is a story criticising the Fascist government in Italy, and exposing the duplicity of the Church and the professional classes during that regime. But Silone's agenda is clearly something more than this. He had been a founding member of the Italian Communist Party, and he spent three years hiding out amongst the peasants after a warrant was issued for his arrest. He weaves his vision of the solution through this narrative of the peasants' troubles, and it is a solution strongly influenced by Marxist ideology. The peasants need to alter their approach; they need to put aside their traditional methods of coping with adversity: no more wailing, cursing, and fighting amongst themselves. And no more viewing their situation as God-given, or random, or in all ways beyond their influencing. The first step is to question; the second is to unite. And they need to identify themselves with the struggle of their class: the sacrifice of the individual is noble if it advances the aims of the many. Continued ( )

http://www.ilpotereelagloria.com/libri/Ignazio-Silone-Fontamara ( )