Teeth & Spies

by Giorgio Pressburger, Shaun Whiteside (Translator)

Teeth are, for those of us who keep them until we die, our final message across the centuries to posterity—our smile or grimace of rage to the person rummaging in the dust, who finds the remains of our fleeting presence on earth. This is the tragicomic account of one man’s life through the fate of his teeth, from the loss of his first milk tooth swallowed by his father in a prison camp to the eventual fixture of a set of dentures. In 32 chapters—each devoted to a particular tooth—the unnamed narrator, an Italian Jew, charts 50 years of Eastern European history. Swept up in its agitated course, he finds himself immersed in secret plots, covert missions, and a ceaseless reflection on the meaning of life.

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Giorgio Pressburger– narratore, autore e regista teatrale, saggista – è nato a Budapest nel 1937. Si è rifugiato in Italia nel 1956, dopo l’invasione sovietica dell’Ungheria. Tra le sue opere: Storie dell’Ottavo Distretto (Marietti 1986, poi Einaudi) e L’elefante verde (Marietti 1988, poi Einaudi), scritti con il fratello Nicola; La legge degli spazi bianchi (Marietti 1989, poi Bur), La neve e la colpa (Einaudi 1998, Premio Viareggio), Nel regno oscuro (Bompiani 2008), Storia umana e inumana (Bompiani 2013). Per Marsilio ha pubblicato Racconti triestini (2015) e Don Ponzio Capodoglio (2017).

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

pretty much everyone else i know who read this book didn't like it. i loved it. i loved the strange sort or fiction sort of philosophy writing style and i loved the conection of teeth to god. because they are connected to god because god is the brain. yeah, i totally loved this book. each chapter is a different tooth!

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this book is interesting: Each chapter's devoted to a tooth. Also, the main character is a spy. But I don't care much for the treatment of women in this book. There is, though, something to be said for finding an indirect route to telling an autobiographical tale.