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"In Microcosms Claudio Magris focuses on the people who live on the borderlands of Istria and Italy, between the eastern Alps and the Adriatic, with Trieste as their cultural centre. They are people who have been the play-things of History and have never had settled frontiers or a settled language. Although Magris writes about 20th century giants like Joyce and Svevo, who lived in Trieste, Microcosms is largely filled with the stories of people crazy inventors, dialect poets, failed show more insurgents, disappointed Lotharios who were peripheral to the central stream of European culture. In their lives, rich in anecdote and interest, he invites us to recognise ourselves. As he guides us from the bear-haunted forests of Trevoso to the cafes and public gardens of Trieste, Magris summons on stage a marvellous cast of characters including, in his own oblique way, himself who remind us what it is to be human. " show less

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6 reviews
Tárlatvezetés egy képzeletbeli múzeumban. Kávéházak, erdők, szigetek, emberek és regények a tárlókban, fragmentumok egy földrajzi régióból: onnan, ahol a Földközi-tenger és Közép-Európa találkozik. Kalauzunk nem siet, és nem tolakodó – nem kézen fog, legfeljebb néha, nyomatékosítandó szavait, megérinti könyökünket. Nem érezteti, hogy megsértődne, ha egyszer csak faképnél hagynánk, és nem várja el, hogy mindent megjegyezzünk – neki elegendő, ha csak hagyjuk magunkat elzsongulni. Finom, udvarias, nagy tudású ember. Kissé melankolikus, ami nem csoda, hisz a múzeum felszámolásra vár, és ki tudja, a benne látható tárgyak, helyek, emberek megmaradnak-e az utókornak. Mégsem érzem show more boldogtalannak – talán mert aki ennyi mindent tart megemlítésre érdemesnek, akit ennyire érdekel saját kisvilága, az nem is lehet boldogtalan. Meg aztán ha a múzeum meg is szűnik, a tárlatvezetés ott marad az emberben – alighanem ez az értelme. Így lesz a múzeum örökéletű.

A pici pedig szép. Mert végtelen.
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con la premessa che questo libro mi ha "costretto" ad andare in caccia di altri testi dello stesso autore(senza lo stesso effetto ,per mia sfortuna),devo dire che questo libro per me e' stato una scommessa;ho avuto ,al tempo della lettura,grandi difficolta' sulle prime pagine...il ritmo mi creava difficolta'....poi ho capito. in piu' di un modo ,geniale,e mi ha fatto pure venire voglia di fare un salto nei luoghi al centro delle vicende. inoltre,senza citarsi addosso(a differenze di altri dello stesso autore).
Di Magris mi piace il ritmo lucido e curioso del viaggiatore "pensante". Tante citazioni, luoghi e riflessioni che conducono sempre alla centralità dell'uomo, delle sue scelte che modificano la storia e delle sue domande che rimandano alle leggi etiche della filosofia classica.
Premio Strega 1997
Essays/Essays & Travelogues/Europe - Italy/History: World/Travel - General/General & Literary Fiction/Italy/Travel writing

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Books Set in Italy
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Italian Literature
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87+ Works 3,439 Members

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Halliday, Iain (Translator)

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Common Knowledge

Canonical title
Microcosms
Original title
Microcosmi
Original publication date
1997
Original language
Italian

Classifications

Genres
Travel, Fiction and Literature
DDC/MDS
858.91408Literature & rhetoricItalian, Romanian & related literaturesItalian miscellaneous writings20th Century1945-1999Prose
LCC
PQ4873 .A3645 .M53Language and LiteratureFrench, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese literaturesItalian literatureIndividual authors, 1961-2000
BISAC

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70,930
Reviews
6
Rating
½ (3.68)
Languages
13 — Catalan, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian (Bokmål), Portuguese (Portugal), Spanish, Swedish
Media
Paper, Ebook
ISBNs
31
ASINs
4