Two Friends

by Alberto Moravia, Marina Harss

In this set of novellas, a few facts are constant. Sergio is a young intellectual, poor and proud of his new membership in the Communist Party. Maurizio is handsome, rich, successful with women, and morally ambiguous. Sergio’s young, sensual lover becomes collateral damage in the struggle between these two men. All three of these unfinished stories, found packed in a suitcase after Alberto Moravia’s death, share this narrative premise. But from there, each story unfolds in a unique way. The first patiently explores the slow unfurling of Sergio’s resentment toward Maurizio. The second reveals the calculated bargain Maurizio offers in exchange for his conversion to Sergio’s beloved Communism. And the third switches dramatically to the first person, laying bare Sergio’s conflicted soul.
   Anyone interested in literature will relish the opportunity to watch Moravia at work, tinkering with his story and working at it from three unique perspectives.

Genres: Italian Literature, Fiction, Italy

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Alberto Moravia, born Alberto Pincherle, was one of the leading Italian novelists of the twentieth century whose novels explore matters of modern sexuality, social alienation, and existentialism. He was also a journalist, playwright, essayist and film critic.
Moravia was an atheist, his writing was marked by its factual, cold, precise style, often depicting the malaise of the bourgeoisie, underpinned by high social and cultural awareness. Moravia believed that writers must, if they were to represent reality, assume a moral position, a clearly conceived political, social, and philosophical attitude, but also that, ultimately, "A writer survives in spite of his beliefs".

Reviews

[Leonart Maruli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boleh dibilang sebagai novel eksperimental. Novel ini berisi 3 versi cerita, Versi A, B, dan C yg masing-masing tokoh utamanya sama yaitu Sergio dan Maurizio yg merupakan sepasang sahabat. Setiap 3 versi cerita ini punya karakter perempuan yg berbeda-beda yg dijadikan penulisnya sebagai bagian intrik cerita. Ada satu tokohnya yg selalu sama diantara tiga versi cerita selain Sergio dan Maurizio adalah Moroni yg digambarkan sebagai lelaki tulus yg tak pernah tertarik dengan ideologi politik. Wajar aja, Moroni ini selalu memenangkan "pertandingan cinta" jika dibandingkan Sergio dan Maurizio yg selalu ribut dan kisruh dengan ideologi politik.

Kisah dalam 3 versi ini sebenarnya sangat sederhana, kisah Sergio yg sangat ingin (bahkan cenderung maksa dan emang enggak pernah berhasil) mengkonversi temannya Maurizio menjadi seorang komunis namun setiap versinya punya perbedaan sudut pandang terutama soal narator walaupun dengan tema yg sama, terutama yg paling membedakan tafsir penulis terhadap masing-masing versi cerita adalah kisah cintanya. Saya sebenarnya agak antipati dengan karakter Sergio terutama cerita di Versi B yg punya karakter kasar terhadap pasangannya dan cenderung devilish (mirip-mirip legenda Faust) karena ingin merayu Maurizio untuk masuk Partai Komunis yg secara status si Maurizio ini seorang borjuis sampai-sampai harus mempertaruhkan pacarnya sendiri kepada Maurizio (dan Maurizio betul2 menolak rayuan Sergio soal ini), waktu baca cerita Versi B ini saya lantas teringat dengan kisah Drupadi karena perempuan dijadikan objek lelaki sebagai bahan pertaruhan.

Soal penulisnya sendiri, Alberto Moravia, saya baru dengar belakangan ini saja. Saya suka sama gaya tuturnya Moravia karena enggak melebar kemana-mana ceritanya, soalnya saya sendiri belakangan ini agak enek sama penulis yg tulisannya enggak ketat dan fokus. Prosa Moravia juga cukup mudah untuk dimengerti. Di rumah saya punya satu buku fisiknya yg judulnya The Time of Indiferrence yg merupakan novel pertama Moravia yang ditulis waktu dia masih berumur sekitar 20 tahunan. Saya lihat review orang mancanegara yg meresensi novel The Time of Indiferrence katanya itu novel cuma punya lima tokoh cerita tapi tebalnya sekitar 300-an halaman untuk novel terbitan terbaru, edisi yg saya punya di rumah cuma sekitar 230-an halaman karena hurufnya sangat kecil terbitan Signet Giant keluaran tahun 1955. Mudah-mudahan novel The Time of Indiferrence menjadi bacaan yg menyenangkan juga sama seperti novel Moravia yg ini.

[Adriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

the experience of reading how a writer builds his books

[Roxana Chirilă · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alberto Moravia își ardea manuscrisele, dar pe astea le-a ratat. (Nu, nu sunt răutăcioasă, asta e explicația din introducere.)

„Cei doi prieteni” e un roman care nu există. Ce avem în schimb sunt trei manuscrise neterminate, cu bucăți lipsă, începute și abandonate de autor care a decis că povestea asta nu-i iese. Au fost descoperite după moartea lui și publicate ca atare.

Sergio e un tip nehotărât care tinde vag spre antifascism (varianta A)/un comunist convins (varianta B, poate și varianta C). Maurizio e un tip nepăsător și bogat. În varianta B par să se lupte ideologic pe iubita lui Sergio, pe care Maurizio insistă să i-o codoșească Sergio ca să se înscrie și el în partidul comunist; când în cele din urmă Sergio cade de acord, Maurizio schimbă placa și spune că a făcut înțelegerea doar ca să demonstreze că toți comuniștii sunt proști.

În fine. Nu mă pasionează suficient ciornele autorilor ca să-mi pese de volumul ăsta.

[Marian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would've give it 5 starts if Moravia would've chosen to portray women differently. With each version, he used more and more violence, objectification and infantilisation towards women. What a shame! The narration was really catchy and the relationship between the two men signalling homoerotism (or at least for me).

Would love to read another book of Moravia in the future and hope to see women differently!

[not me · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I am nothing but an intellectual of the worst sort, in other words a man who is aware of all the reasons for action and yet is incapable of acting”
#relatable

[Lindsay Donat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth noting I am reading a translation. It is very cool to see how each version evolves. The friendship between Sergio and Maurizio is very complex and often seems like it is on the verge of imploding, which is what really creates the suspense and intrigue. The way it explores political indifference and the effect of war on personal relationships is fairly interesting, and I enjoy the overall style of writing. However, it feels overly sexual at times that don't make much sense, and the women are not portrayed in a very three dimensional manner... perhaps this is the point? Of course, it is not a modern book and can't be judged as if it were, but I often found myself rolling my eyes at the descriptions of the women and the comments the men make about them to a point where it was difficult to feel immersed in the story. Overall an interesting read.

Edit: Finished Version B. While they did provide some redemption for Lalla in the end when she stood up for herself, it was uncomfortable to read how she was degraded most of the story and I did not find the moral of the story to be original or thought-provoking enough to condone this. Overall, fantastic writing, weird plot.

[TheMistOnCliffs]

Θα αρχίσω αναφέροντας ότι δεν έχω διαβάσει άλλη δουλειά του συγκεκριμένου συγγραφέα. Πρόκειται για αδημοσίευτα χειρόγραφα που βρέθηκαν και δημοσιεύθηκαν μετά από μελέτη. Πάντα μιλώντας για την ελληνική έκδοση, οι πρώτες 90 σελίδες είναι εισαγωγή που αναφέρεται σε μεγάλο μέρος στα έργα του και έπειτα στο κείμενο που ουσιαστικά είναι μια ημιτελής ιστορία γραμμένη τρεις φορές με διαφορετικούς τρόπους. Μην έχοντας διαβάσει κάτι παρόμοιο, βρήκα ενδιαφέρον στον τρόπο ανάπτυξης της ιστορίας που κάθε φορά αλλάζει κρατώντας παρόμοια κάποια στοιχεία. Από την άλλη η τεράστια εισαγωγή για κάποιον που δεν γνωρίζει καθόλου το έργο του Μοραβια μάλλον θα τον κουράσει. Γενικότερα όμως είχε ενδιαφέρον και από άποψη μυθιστορήματος και από άποψη μελέτης.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5
Exquisite literary fiction and a must for those who enjoy exceedingly wonderful prose. My review may be read on my book review blog Rundpinne.