South: A Novel

by Mario Fortunato, Julia MacGibbon (Translator)

Through the loves and losses of a middle-class family from Calabria, this heady, atmospheric saga retraces the history of twentieth-century Italy.

As a young man in the Seventies, Valentino leaves home in search of a better life. With age, he begins to feel an intense regret, a longing for the world and the people he left behind, which he might not be able to recover, even after returning.
Set in Magna Graecia, the sun-drenched land where ancient Greeks stopped in their travels and happily settled, now full of ruins, South takes us back to a time when notaries and lawyers were undiscussed authorities in small towns. Meet the Notaio, his lover Magda, a Polish countess and a spy, and delve into their love story in Naples; meet the Farmacista, owner of the first chemist’s shop in town, his wife Lea, and their children; follow the paths where these lives cross, and Tamara, Mara for short, marries into the Notaio’s family; get to know charming Uncle Giorgio, an extravagant loner, owner of two small Gauguins, and Gioacchino, the house ghost.
Servants, drivers, peasants fully devoted and bound to their masters enliven this tale of love and loss, war and peace, politics and power, told in an elegant, affecting prose that transports us through time and space.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Italy

384 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2020

About the author

Mario Fortunato è uno scrittore e giornalista italiano. Ha diretto l’Istituto italiano di cultura di Londra ed è opinionista della Süddeutsche Zeitung. Critico letterario, traduttore di autori come Maupassant, Virginia Woolf e Evelyn Waugh, ha pubblicato narrativa, saggi e memoir. Il suo ultimo romanzo è Sud (Bompiani, 2020).


Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

Reviews

[Gianni · Rating 4 out of 5]

”Gli accadimenti non sono mai la storia”, per dirla con Emiliano Monge in Le omissioni, ”La storia è la corrente invisibile che smuove tutto sullo sfondo”; Sud è un po’ anche questo, è ciò che accade a due famiglie calabresi e alla comunità in cui vivono, immerse nella corrente della Storia che muove il paese dai primi del Novecento agli anni ’70, quando il giovane Valentino lascia la famiglia e le sue radici, ”un passo alla volta, con passo furtivo e obliquo che è tipico della morte, sia il passato remoto sia quello prossimo cominciarono a sparire dal vocabolario. […] In un certo senso, quasi non si accorse della loro scomparsa - non parliamo di tutti gli altri, svaniti molto prima di svanire dal mondo. Non se ne accorse per il semplice motivo che non scompare quello che hai già cancellato, come non si perde ciò che non possiedi.”
E quando si consuma questa dissolvenza, combinandosi con la maturità di Valentino, il passato riaffiora e si riannodano i fili, con la consapevolezza che tutti i personaggi e gli ”altri eroi che si muovono in questa storia come in una rumba ubriaca sarebbero diventati il suo futuro.”
Mario Fortunato ricostruisce questa saga popolata da decine di personaggi per frammenti, sul filo del ricordo e dell’aneddoto, con tono spesso leggero e con un tocco di ironia. Storie brevi, imbevute della Storia ma senza subirla, si susseguono e intrecciandosi restituiscono la mappa dei caratteri individuali e delle relazioni, senza la necessità di ricorrere a descrizioni minuziose e ai dialoghi, questi ultimi completamente assenti. In questo quadro emerge un Sud che non è remissivo e passivo, in cui i protagonisti sono culturalmente e politicamente la parte progressista e attiva della comunità e in cui è ancora forte la struttura di un’istituzione famigliare allargata, fatta anche di legami che a volte diventano lacci.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel was a New York Times recommendation so I was excited to get going on it, but as I continued reading hoping to get hooked in to the plot, I just couldn’t generate much interest. It was reading a family origination story at a remove; It consists of the author telling us about this family with almost no dialogue. I put the book down and read some of the rave reviews and gave it another try, but I just couldn’t get invested. There were time loops back and forth too that at times were hard to follow as the novel progresses through generations, the characters were interesting but I had no real sense of attachment to them. I also found some of the repetitive phrases annoying- such as a character ‘Tamara’ always referred to in relation to the man who loves her as Tamara-his Mara- throughout the entire novel. I ended up skimming after about halfway through because I just couldn’t get hooked on the plot but I did want to find out how it ended. This family saga, seemed to drift lightly over the tumultuous events in Italy during the mid twentieth century so as to leave me wanting more.

[Chiara Basile · Rating 3 out of 5]

Il libro narra una storia familiare che percorre tutto il XX secolo e si intreccia con i grandi eventi storici che lo hanno caratterizzato. La narrazione è scorrevole, a tratti forse un po' troppo distaccata. L'ho trovata una lettura piacevole ma niente di più, mi sarei aspettata un maggiore approfondimento e più intensità. In alcuni punti mi è sembrato che la Storia sovrastasse eccessivamente le vicende dei personaggi.

[kcj · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book hard to follow, particularly at the beginning when attempting to piece together timeline / family relation. There is very little interpersonal dialogue, but continued character development / side stories and heavy Italian history and politics throughout.

I appreciated that the narrator narrated characters neutrally and honestly. Regardless of their good or bad qualities.. it allowed you to see the family and its past / present in a honest sense. A sense of acceptance of who they are and how these various individuals add to the family and its makeup as a whole.

The bookend was imo, beautiful.

Still on the fence about it as a whole.

[John Balest · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vivid depiction of life in Southern Italy spanning much of the 1900s. The plots, subplots and cast of characters make for a quick, very enjoyable read. He is a beautiful writer.

[Marta Folgarait · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una bella saga familiare all'interno del 20° secolo con riferimenti politici e storici, una bella scrittura, una piacevole scoperta.

[Cgallozzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reference Note: I am reviewing Mario Fortunato's "South" in the context of other Italian Novels - such as the Neopolitan Novels/Quartet of Elena Ferrante; and (alleged to be Ferrante's mentor) "Lies and Sorcery" by Elsa Morante.

A good, not great story - with flashes of narrative "brilliance". The story of two families in a small town in the South of Italy from the Second World War through the turn of the century. Fortunato expertly views characters in a small Southern Italian Town, describing in detail two families, detailing the rise, maintenance and 'fall' of one family; who dies; who moved away; who doesn't speak to whom.

"South" covers a great deal of Italian electoral, political history - elections authorizing divorce; ending the concept of King - turning Italy into a Republic.

The background to the narrative includes the calamities of the 20th Century - 1st part - Fascism/Holocaust; 2nd part Post Mussolini and Italy's problems in a Global Economy.

Should be of interest to those who read historical novels.
Should be of interest to those who read about the Italian cultures and its politics.

Carl Gallozzi
Cgallozzi@comcast.net

Not the emotional connection/energy that was experienced with the characters of Ferrante's Neapolitan Novels/Quartet with a few characters - however, "South" has approximately fifty characters. Even with fifty characters there are flashes of narrative brilliance - word descriptions of social interactions of what is said (between family members); what is unsaid and perhaps most importantly what is meant.

[Hyojin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s story of our protagonist’s family spanning back to early 20th century in the south of Italy. Story is a bit melodramatic - the way personal lives, tragedies, and historical events are described gives a sense that it was all destined, which evokes a feeling of sadness. It is hard to describe this book as it is part family history, part political history, and part coming-of-an age story. Many characters appearing in this book are quite fascinating but it is also difficult to feel attachment to them as they are described at a remove. While it was hard to decide what to make of this book, it had beautiful prose and insights into human nature and relationships. I enjoyed reading this book. If I was more familiar with modern Italian history, I think I may have enjoyed the book even more.

[Marilyn Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

My grandparents were from Calabria, Apulia, Naples and Genoa so I was drawn to this book and it felt like a warm embrace, just like Italia and the Italians are in so many ways. Following the time period covered in the book from the perspective of the characters makes the history seem real. Living through their joys and tragedies kept me interested throughout. And the prose is wonderful. I only wish I was too lazy to read it in the original Italian.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written, occasionally clever narrative of two families whose lives (and that of their respective staffs) go "South," I guess, along with the politics of Italy. But I was totally annoyed and distracted having to flip back and forth from the story and the 4 pages of genealogy.

Another reader and I did have fun trying to figure out the significance of the front cover of the book.
(Well, maybe not "fun"?)

[Edith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very dense

It takes a while to get into this book and while I found it fascinating I also have to admit that I skipped over vast swathes of the very dense prose and unnecessary details.

[Riccardo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mentioned in the NYT 2023 list of best historical dramas, set in XX century Calabria. Readable as a choral set of characters, captured across the years, with a few scattered historical references, leading to the emotional ending that the past is an individual point of arrival.

[Debra Lumbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

One hundred years of solitude meets Italy. Beautiful writing, epic history of 2 Italian families

[Jakki]

DNF. I just couldn’t get into it.

[Andrew Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A profound novel but not one I particularly enjoyed - I think because of having to keep track of a Marquez level amount of characters.

Absolutely astounding translation - spirited and funny.

[Anna Smalley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story based around an ever-growing family tree through political movements and wars in southern Italy

[Amanda Rosso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro di una lucidita unica. Personaggi indimenticabili ed un'ironia pervasiva e mai scontata. Il narratore o narratrice onniscente, ma quasi, non del tutto, aiuta le lettrici ad esplorare l'Italia, piu' precisamente il Sud Italia del Novecento con dovizia di particolari, acutezza storica, ingegno e un linguaggio allo stesso tempo eterno e momentaneo.

I riferimenti alla letteratura, la storia, l'intrattenimento e il gossip rendono ancora piu' credibile un romanzo complesso, ricco di personaggi ed eventi, una luce narrativa che illumina della stessa importanza e cura le Grandi Vicende della Storia e quelle piccole.

Un romanzo che accarezza, sogghigna, rimbrotta e prende per mano, senza mai indietreggiare o pentirsi, senza cerimonie e sollazzi, senza sfarzi e abbellimenti.

Fortunato ha scritto il romanzo coccodrillo del secolo XX.

[Appunti di carta]

https://appuntidicarta.it/2020/07/20/...