Clandestinity

by Antonio Moresco

In this four-story suite, a modern master of Italian literature delves into the wonder and strangeness of the human condition.
Eerie, fabulist, and elegant, each of Moresco’s stories features a central character at a different time of his childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. In these beautiful and unsettling narratives, a dreamlike logic governs a vivid and strange physical world. In “Blue Room,” the adolescent protagonist carries on a voyeuristic relationship with a blind old woman in a mysterious house. In “The Hole,” a young boy becomes fascinated by an outhouse toilet, a portal through which he observes bodily wastes, curiosities, and portents. In the title story, an act of violence deepens the nightmarish tones and mood of disorientation. And in “The King,” a child narrator—who may or may not be present—witnesses a horrific visit from an exiled ruler. Full of bodily parts, functions, and desires, Moresco’s stories distort time and reality to summon a world of carnal immediacy and uncanny haziness. A spectral and unnerving work of art, expertly translated by Richard Dixon, Clandestinity is a testament to Moresco’s genius.

Genres: Italy, Short Stories, Italian Literature, Fiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1993

About the author

Antonio Moresco is an Italian writer.
His first publications appeared late in his life, after he had been turned down by several publishers. In 1993, he published his first collection of short stories, Clandestinity, but his career-defining project is the monumental trilogy Games of Eternity, made up of Gli esordi (1998), Canti del caos (2009), and Gli increati (2015). He has published many other works, including short stories, children stories, and he has organized several collective marches throughout Italy and Europe, which have become the topics for some of his works.

Reviews

[Basho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strange and pretty grotesque. It leaves an impression similar to a Lynch film. I’m not sure what to make of it.

[Hol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despairing writings from an Italian literary genius. Most splendid, senseless nightmares, stories which read like waking at midnight, out of your mind. And solitude in complete darkness, within four walls, two 90s, wherein only the fact of their erection alone can keep company, stumbling in search of light, an interpretation of that which is uncertain, feeling from every angle; then, digging down, down, the residual axis, met with maggots. No clocks, no time, grotesque reverie, incorporeal being, non-being, and an outhouse. God strewth.

[michal k-c · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange and grim! I thought these stories about psychosexual voyeurism and violence would be fun but actually they’re quite upsetting! Anyway The Blue Room and The King are both extremely solid works, gotta work on my Italian so I can read more Moresco

[pae (marginhermit) · Rating 5 out of 5]

In case u’re wondering how to read this book;
1. Normally. From page 1- xx
2. According to the age. Which i honestly prefer.

[John “Jack” Watkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely nauseating and vertigo-inducing in this text’s utter resistance to rhetorical interpretation. one seems to slip over the bloated contusion of ‘Clandestinity’’s surface and, in one’s desire to penetrate the depths of its form, they fall into an abyssal pile of corpses. n/5

[Héctor Genta · Rating 1 out of 5]

disturbante

[Valentina Sandri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Il mondo di Antonio Moresco è talmente particolare e a tratti folle che bisogna essere pronti a tutto. Ogni capitolo e ogni pagina hanno sempre qualcosa in più che può destabilizzare.
In questo libro si vive con gli occhi di un bambino e di tutti i pensieri che lo turbano nello sfondo di una grande casa.
Lettura abbastanza scorrevole. Non consiglio di leggerlo dalla parrucchiera come ho fatto io ... magari alcuni passaggi potrebbero scandalizzare la vicina di phon che sta spiando la tua lettura ahah

[Scott Maize · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is atmospheric, grotesque, and incredibly strange. I loved it.

Even though it’s structured as short stories, it often feels like a fragmented novel, since the same narrator moves through each piece at different points in his life. As the title suggests, the book is obsessed with secrecy - what’s hidden, watched & moves in the shadows and the unknowns of death.

It’s definitely not for everyone but if you enjoy books driven by vibe, abstraction, and a recurring theme, this is one to experience.

[Alex O'Connor · Rating 2 out of 5]

A step too far in weirdness even for me. Repulsive, repulsive stories. Gut churning. But it really hurts me to rate this so low because his other novel, Distant Light, is one of my favorite books of the year.

[Emmett · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favourite scene, which is bizarre and tense, involves a character propping him himself up in an unusual position above a water heater. Wish there was more than of that and less of the body horror stuff, which didn't shock me but also didn't interest me.