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Death of a Prima Donna
Who really was Lea Kralj? What was the truth about the beautiful, mysterious, passionate diva who was admired and fated throughout her career and who thrilled opera house audiences in cities across Europe? What was her relationship with her mother? And what really happened behind the curtains of her fourth-floor flat by the river, at the height of her fame, during her last summer in Ljubljana?
The only person who may be able to shed further light on the enigma of Lea Kralj is the narrator of this novel, a young Frenchman who first met her, in curious circumstances, in Madrid, and pursued her obsessively to Paris, Milan and eventually to Slovenia. Their relationship, neither sexual nor sycophantic, but one of mutual dependency, remains inexplicable to him. All he knows is that he will forever be dazzled by his memories of Lea Kralj's voice, her radiating presence and her beauty, and by certain aspects of her life, as tragic and doomed as any of the stage heroines whose roles she sang.
As was apparent in her first novel to be translated into English, the internationally acclaimed Con Brio, Brina Svit writes with a rare poetic facility and rich musicality of expression. Her new novel is a stylistic tour de force which can only enhance her growing reputation.
The only person who may be able to shed further light on the enigma of Lea Kralj is the narrator of this novel, a young Frenchman who first met her, in curious circumstances, in Madrid, and pursued her obsessively to Paris, Milan and eventually to Slovenia. Their relationship, neither sexual nor sycophantic, but one of mutual dependency, remains inexplicable to him. All he knows is that he will forever be dazzled by his memories of Lea Kralj's voice, her radiating presence and her beauty, and by certain aspects of her life, as tragic and doomed as any of the stage heroines whose roles she sang.
As was apparent in her first novel to be translated into English, the internationally acclaimed Con Brio, Brina Svit writes with a rare poetic facility and rich musicality of expression. Her new novel is a stylistic tour de force which can only enhance her growing reputation.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
2 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
Brina Svit
18 books15 followersBrina Švigelj-Mérat (alias, Brina Svit) is a Slovenian writer.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 5, 2019
I found this the least interesting of the three novels I’ve read by Brina Svit (only two of them translated into English, including the best, Con Brio). The best part of the novel is the first-person narrative voice; it’s what kept me going. The narrator himself is annoying, there isn’t much structure or plot, and the frame didn’t work for me. But there are moments of beauty and the central character, a Slovenian woman opera singer, was interesting enough to hold me. Svit is an excellent writer who is poorly served so far in English.
October 10, 2014
There's something quite extraordinary about Brina Svit's writing. Her characters are not likeable or ordinary. Her prose style is intense. I love how she repeats words and phrases for emphasis, and I cling to her narrative. It's not for everyone but I really have a huge amount of time for Brina Svit.
July 31, 2007
I read this book sitting in a cafe in Ljubljana, where the end part of the story takes place in the book. I loved it, and I even cried at some parts. It was a book about relationships and the way those are tied into self image, and also a book about how those relationships can fail.
February 24, 2010
I thought this story was confused and disappointing.
Full Review; http://bookywooks.blogspot.com/2010/0...
Full Review; http://bookywooks.blogspot.com/2010/0...
March 26, 2017
An interesting book which in many ways recalled to mind the tone of a party foreign film...that's however not a criticism just a note that this is a book where little happens in many respects and is more about the complexity of the relationships of the characters.
It's a book of unrequited love , acceptance or the lake of and depths of human character.
The tale being presented in the European opera circuit(at least in part) and across continental Europe I think made for a tale that although familiar did still have an exotic feel.
It is a short tale that takes the form of a memoir and although it took up little of my time I think it will remain with me for some time.
It's a book of unrequited love , acceptance or the lake of and depths of human character.
The tale being presented in the European opera circuit(at least in part) and across continental Europe I think made for a tale that although familiar did still have an exotic feel.
It is a short tale that takes the form of a memoir and although it took up little of my time I think it will remain with me for some time.
May 13, 2022
I didn't think much of this unfortunately. The narration was uninteresting, the relationship between the main characters wasnt engaging and nothing really happened. There was a lot that they could have gone into, didn't really explore Lejkas relationship with her mother enough and the narrators being an orphan
February 2, 2025
lejka my love you deserve EVERYTHING :((((((((
February 8, 2025
Čudovito. Nekaj, kar te spremlja. Nekaj, v čemur vidim sledove sebe. Čudovita zgodba o Sloveniji.
January 31, 2018
I have read very little Slovenian literature in my time, and decided to choose an intriguing tome for my Around the World in 80 Books challenge. I really enjoyed both the central idea and the structure of Brina Svit's Death of a Prima Donna, and felt that everything about it - and particularly with regard to the use of a non-linear narrative - worked well. Engaging and cleverly structured, the novel kept me guessing throughout. It is a perceptive and quite intimate book, and one which I would highly recommend.
February 25, 2024
[Recensione del 2014, nel frattempo la casa editrice Zandonai non esiste più]
Da molto tempo volevo leggere questo libro della slovena Brina Svit, e tra i motivi per cui volevo leggerlo c’è il fatto che secondo me un libro uscito per Zandonai è garanzia di ottima letteratura. Anche questa volta, infatti, ho avuto la conferma che la piccola casa editrice trentina è una delle più raffinate sul mercato e che ci consente di leggere testi raffinatissimi ed eleganti.
Il romanzo è la storia di Lea Kralj, cantante lirica slovena: una rivista sta valutando se eleggerla Slovena dell’anno 2000, con lei ci sono altre candidate al titolo e il compito del narratore, un giornalista francese omosessuale, è quello di convincere la giuria che è proprio Lea la più adatta al titolo. Per fare questo, il giornalista risponde a delle domande che non conosciamo, poste dalla giuria, e lo fa attraverso un memoir che intitola Morte di una primadonna slovena.
Lea Kralj arriva tardi alla fama, ma quando vi arriva il suo sarà un successo grandioso. Conosce quasi per caso il giornalista-narratore, in occasione di un’intervista per la sua rivista Petronius Arbiter, e per caso lo reincontra successivamente, ubriaco fradicio in mezzo alla strada, e lo porta in albergo con sé. Nasce così un’amicizia sincera, che avrebbe tutti i connotati dell’amore se il giornalista non fosse omosessuale. Ma il narratore ci tiene a precisare di non essere un folle lyrique, cioè uno di quegli «omosessuali che vanno pazzi per l’opera e in particolare per le primedonne, che amano appassionatamente e soprattutto castamente». Egli afferma di non essersi mai interessato in modo particolare all’opera, e che la storia con Lea sarebbe stata la stessa se la donna fosse stata una farmacista o una corista.
La storia di Lea Kralj è una storia tragica, segnata dalla passione per la musica e per gli uomini, ma soprattutto per quella donna che non l’ha mai saputa amare se non da bambina, Ingrid, la madre. Una madre divoratrice, come dice bene la quarta di copertina, che finirà per fagocitare Lea e condurla alla morte. Lea Kralj ha fame d’amore, e di fame d’amore muore.
Il romanzo è scritto con una prosa poetica ed elegantissima, la lettura è un vero piacere dei sensi che mi ha portato a soffermarmi su ogni parola, su ogni frase, rigirandola nella mia mente di lettrice per gustarne appieno il suono, la musica, la raffinatezza. I miei complimenti dunque anche alle traduttrici, che ci hanno saputo rendere questa prosa magnifica con estrema eleganza.
Non leggetelo se non vi piace la letteratura di altissimo livello, non leggetelo se non vi piace la prosa musicale. Se invece questo è ciò che amate in un libro, ne resterete sicuramente soddisfatti.
Da molto tempo volevo leggere questo libro della slovena Brina Svit, e tra i motivi per cui volevo leggerlo c’è il fatto che secondo me un libro uscito per Zandonai è garanzia di ottima letteratura. Anche questa volta, infatti, ho avuto la conferma che la piccola casa editrice trentina è una delle più raffinate sul mercato e che ci consente di leggere testi raffinatissimi ed eleganti.
Il romanzo è la storia di Lea Kralj, cantante lirica slovena: una rivista sta valutando se eleggerla Slovena dell’anno 2000, con lei ci sono altre candidate al titolo e il compito del narratore, un giornalista francese omosessuale, è quello di convincere la giuria che è proprio Lea la più adatta al titolo. Per fare questo, il giornalista risponde a delle domande che non conosciamo, poste dalla giuria, e lo fa attraverso un memoir che intitola Morte di una primadonna slovena.
Lea Kralj arriva tardi alla fama, ma quando vi arriva il suo sarà un successo grandioso. Conosce quasi per caso il giornalista-narratore, in occasione di un’intervista per la sua rivista Petronius Arbiter, e per caso lo reincontra successivamente, ubriaco fradicio in mezzo alla strada, e lo porta in albergo con sé. Nasce così un’amicizia sincera, che avrebbe tutti i connotati dell’amore se il giornalista non fosse omosessuale. Ma il narratore ci tiene a precisare di non essere un folle lyrique, cioè uno di quegli «omosessuali che vanno pazzi per l’opera e in particolare per le primedonne, che amano appassionatamente e soprattutto castamente». Egli afferma di non essersi mai interessato in modo particolare all’opera, e che la storia con Lea sarebbe stata la stessa se la donna fosse stata una farmacista o una corista.
La storia di Lea Kralj è una storia tragica, segnata dalla passione per la musica e per gli uomini, ma soprattutto per quella donna che non l’ha mai saputa amare se non da bambina, Ingrid, la madre. Una madre divoratrice, come dice bene la quarta di copertina, che finirà per fagocitare Lea e condurla alla morte. Lea Kralj ha fame d’amore, e di fame d’amore muore.
Il romanzo è scritto con una prosa poetica ed elegantissima, la lettura è un vero piacere dei sensi che mi ha portato a soffermarmi su ogni parola, su ogni frase, rigirandola nella mia mente di lettrice per gustarne appieno il suono, la musica, la raffinatezza. I miei complimenti dunque anche alle traduttrici, che ci hanno saputo rendere questa prosa magnifica con estrema eleganza.
Non leggetelo se non vi piace la letteratura di altissimo livello, non leggetelo se non vi piace la prosa musicale. Se invece questo è ciò che amate in un libro, ne resterete sicuramente soddisfatti.
April 9, 2016
Now, I confess to having some prejudice against this book before I even began. The title just kind of makes me shiver and roll my eyes - I have no desire to read about prima donnas in the colloquial sense of the word. But it turns out that the prima donna in this book is actually a famous (fictional) opera singer, so I guess she is a prima donna in the true sense of the word. Anyway, whatever.
I really don't like giving bad reviews but there's no point in being dishonest. Unfortunately, I thought this book was pretty awful. The characters were extremely unlikable and, more importantly, very irritating - a neurotic, crazy, beautiful superstar, a crazy stalker superfan ... ugh. I had no sympathy for any of them and couldn't have cared less what happened to them. The timeline is confusing, with annoying allusions to things the reader will learn later (pet hate alert), it is quite repetitive and to be honest, I couldn't tell you now what the mystery of the prima donna's death was, or even how she died!
Not all books will appeal to everyone, and this one is just not my cup of tea. It is definitely someone's cup of tea, as this has quite good ratings on Goodreads, and Brina Svit is clearly an accomplished and well thought of author, so what do I know?! Just not for me I'm afraid. 2 stars.
I really don't like giving bad reviews but there's no point in being dishonest. Unfortunately, I thought this book was pretty awful. The characters were extremely unlikable and, more importantly, very irritating - a neurotic, crazy, beautiful superstar, a crazy stalker superfan ... ugh. I had no sympathy for any of them and couldn't have cared less what happened to them. The timeline is confusing, with annoying allusions to things the reader will learn later (pet hate alert), it is quite repetitive and to be honest, I couldn't tell you now what the mystery of the prima donna's death was, or even how she died!
Not all books will appeal to everyone, and this one is just not my cup of tea. It is definitely someone's cup of tea, as this has quite good ratings on Goodreads, and Brina Svit is clearly an accomplished and well thought of author, so what do I know?! Just not for me I'm afraid. 2 stars.
April 14, 2008
J'ai lu cette nuit l'un des livres conseillés par la Médiathèque de Melun dans le cadre du Printemps slovène, Mort d'une prima donna slovène de Brina Svit.
Le narrateur, journaliste de la revue Petronius et fasciné par la chanteuse d'opéra Lea Kralj, la suit à travers l'Europe. Il découvre avec elle la Slovénie (très brièvement), mais la tragédie se nouera autour de la chambre d'enfant de Lea.
Je n'ose en dire plus de peur de déflorer ce roman, mais il reste à noter que la fin de ce texte est un petit bijou.
Le narrateur, journaliste de la revue Petronius et fasciné par la chanteuse d'opéra Lea Kralj, la suit à travers l'Europe. Il découvre avec elle la Slovénie (très brièvement), mais la tragédie se nouera autour de la chambre d'enfant de Lea.
Je n'ose en dire plus de peur de déflorer ce roman, mais il reste à noter que la fin de ce texte est un petit bijou.
June 2, 2015
A really quick book on a topic of crazy woman who needs a man, but gets a indecisive religious metrosexual, who hopes to destroy the only thing that makes her tick and doesn't make him happy. I loved the novel, it has a quick upbeast tempo and metropolitan shine, that would make even a ride in a elevator lovely and nice. A surgical novel about sadness and art, not a word about love.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews