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الحفلة التنكرية
روائع المسرح العالمي
268 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1941
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221 people want to read
About the author
Alberto Moravia
515 books1,213 followersAlberto 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".
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".
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July 15, 2023
‘A Mascarada’ é uma história rocambolesca, uma crítica ao fascismo, numa mistura de ironia e desencanto. Estamos num país fictício governado pelo general Tereso (talvez uma caricatura de Mussolini, cujo regime considerou Moravia persona non grata?). Com raras exceções, os personagens são quase todos desprezíveis, movendo-se apenas por interesses pessoais e fingindo ser o que não são.
A história tem toques macabros e vários momentos de humor e mantém-nos agarrados até ao final, que acaba por ser algo inesperado.
Talvez porque a minha primeira – e até à data única - experiência com Alberto Moravia foi um desaire total, comecei este livro com muito baixas expectativas e acabei por gostar muito mais do que estava à espera!
A história tem toques macabros e vários momentos de humor e mantém-nos agarrados até ao final, que acaba por ser algo inesperado.
Talvez porque a minha primeira – e até à data única - experiência com Alberto Moravia foi um desaire total, comecei este livro com muito baixas expectativas e acabei por gostar muito mais do que estava à espera!
Read
March 18, 2018E’ faticoso leggere, una fatica immane per me.
Con tutti i pensieri dell’oggi, le cose da fare nella mia testa,le musiche da ascoltare, i nasi da indossare.
Moravia, poi! Che scrive fitto parole nuove addirittura…
Vocabolario e Moravia, questo è stato, con un sottofondo di musica triccheballante. Musica, tanta musica che dal piano di sotto (io) fino all’ultimo (figlio) riempie queste mura da giorni e che, ora mi accorgo, vivono di questo. Nella parte di mezzo altre figure belle, ma troppo prese da se stesse, poco ‘spugna’ per ascoltare. Anche parole, semplici parole come apota, eponimo, resipiscenza, infinta, calibano, elzeviristica, graveolenti, panie, borraccina, romita, neghittoso, puglie. C’è musica, anche nelle parole nuove (per me).
Sarà che c’è profondo silenzio nella mia testa, ma esse rimbombano con lui, con Moravia e le sue storie. Già, la storia, il libro.
Il libro è una mascherata: una burla che si trasforma in tragedia, come ogni ‘carnevale’ della nostra vita, no?
Ciò alla fine , dove un matrimonio per vendetta si tramuta in un funerale reale, cinico e politico, a suon di marcia.
‘Politico’ voleva essere il libro, prima approvato e poi censurato da Lui in persona negli anni ’40 (avete capito di certo chi sia Lui).
Pochi personaggi e pochi giorni narrativi, ma tutto un passato di tanti e azione e molte descrizioni di caratteri e personalità: Moravia, praticamente.
Moravia e il tempo, i tempi, della finzione, del recitare una parte, che sia del Generale ingenuo capace di perdersi dietro una gonnella o quella della gonnella che muore da spazzacamino impudica ed erotica anche nella morte, tinta di nero. Ho il vizio di guardare la parte ‘rosa’ di una storia, ma certo il buon M. voleva fare un libro ‘contro’ per l’epoca, un racconto su stato autoritario (leggi fascismo), violento ma plebiscitario.
Le donne sono di contorno, come lo furono per Lui, mentre per Tereso il Generale ancora incarnano la sua svenevole capacità d’innamorarsi e la voglia di essere amato. Ed ero qui che leggevo di Tereso…e ancora Tereso …e nella mia mente risuonava ‘Tiresia….Tiresia’…dove mai avevo sentito o letto questo nome? Chi era? Uomo ? Donna? Entrambi, scopro…Ancora tanto ‘rosa’, nonostante il mio naso. Divago. Concludo.
Sì, il Generale mi ha fatto tenerezza, anche la sua crudeltà di cui ho dimestichezza, perché: “ tutto è vuoto e deserto: così la potenza come l’amore” e lo strano è che a volte sono saggi e ingenui allo stesso tempo, pur nelle loro divise tronfie, e ciò fu rovina pura anche per Lui.
Finisco con oggi, sempre. C’è sempre un ‘ventennio’ che ricorre nella mia testa. Ci aspettano 20 anni di ‘odesto , maremma maiala? Nulla da togliere, c’è tanto da aggiungere invece, mi guardo attorno e…’un c’è nessuno , mannaggialamiseria!!!
Ah! A pag 109: “Il senso di una catastrofe stupenda che non permetteva di piangere o gridare” : dietro le varie maschere che indossiamo facciamolo pure, a volte esse stesse ci ascoltano.
Con tutti i pensieri dell’oggi, le cose da fare nella mia testa,le musiche da ascoltare, i nasi da indossare.
Moravia, poi! Che scrive fitto parole nuove addirittura…
Vocabolario e Moravia, questo è stato, con un sottofondo di musica triccheballante. Musica, tanta musica che dal piano di sotto (io) fino all’ultimo (figlio) riempie queste mura da giorni e che, ora mi accorgo, vivono di questo. Nella parte di mezzo altre figure belle, ma troppo prese da se stesse, poco ‘spugna’ per ascoltare. Anche parole, semplici parole come apota, eponimo, resipiscenza, infinta, calibano, elzeviristica, graveolenti, panie, borraccina, romita, neghittoso, puglie. C’è musica, anche nelle parole nuove (per me).
Sarà che c’è profondo silenzio nella mia testa, ma esse rimbombano con lui, con Moravia e le sue storie. Già, la storia, il libro.
Il libro è una mascherata: una burla che si trasforma in tragedia, come ogni ‘carnevale’ della nostra vita, no?
Ciò alla fine , dove un matrimonio per vendetta si tramuta in un funerale reale, cinico e politico, a suon di marcia.
‘Politico’ voleva essere il libro, prima approvato e poi censurato da Lui in persona negli anni ’40 (avete capito di certo chi sia Lui).
Pochi personaggi e pochi giorni narrativi, ma tutto un passato di tanti e azione e molte descrizioni di caratteri e personalità: Moravia, praticamente.
Moravia e il tempo, i tempi, della finzione, del recitare una parte, che sia del Generale ingenuo capace di perdersi dietro una gonnella o quella della gonnella che muore da spazzacamino impudica ed erotica anche nella morte, tinta di nero. Ho il vizio di guardare la parte ‘rosa’ di una storia, ma certo il buon M. voleva fare un libro ‘contro’ per l’epoca, un racconto su stato autoritario (leggi fascismo), violento ma plebiscitario.
Le donne sono di contorno, come lo furono per Lui, mentre per Tereso il Generale ancora incarnano la sua svenevole capacità d’innamorarsi e la voglia di essere amato. Ed ero qui che leggevo di Tereso…e ancora Tereso …e nella mia mente risuonava ‘Tiresia….Tiresia’…dove mai avevo sentito o letto questo nome? Chi era? Uomo ? Donna? Entrambi, scopro…Ancora tanto ‘rosa’, nonostante il mio naso. Divago. Concludo.
Sì, il Generale mi ha fatto tenerezza, anche la sua crudeltà di cui ho dimestichezza, perché: “ tutto è vuoto e deserto: così la potenza come l’amore” e lo strano è che a volte sono saggi e ingenui allo stesso tempo, pur nelle loro divise tronfie, e ciò fu rovina pura anche per Lui.
Finisco con oggi, sempre. C’è sempre un ‘ventennio’ che ricorre nella mia testa. Ci aspettano 20 anni di ‘odesto , maremma maiala? Nulla da togliere, c’è tanto da aggiungere invece, mi guardo attorno e…’un c’è nessuno , mannaggialamiseria!!!
Ah! A pag 109: “Il senso di una catastrofe stupenda che non permetteva di piangere o gridare” : dietro le varie maschere che indossiamo facciamolo pure, a volte esse stesse ci ascoltano.
January 22, 2020
"The Fancy Dress Party" is a novel by Alberto Moravia which according to my copy was published in 1952, but I will assume they mean in English because I see that it was first published as "La mascherata" in 1941, so I will assume that "La mascherata" came first. So, out of curiosity I looked up the word mascherata because I was pretty sure it didn't translate into three words "fancy dress party" and this is what I got:
"A mascherata is a dance from the sixteenth century and was particularly popular in Florence. It was performed by costumed dancers, and frequently pantomimed Roman and Greek themes in them. At the time, it was often associated with Villanella, and performed at carnivals with the musicians and singers atop floats."
I also saw this:
'Mascherata' is the past, plural, and feminine version of 'mascherare' which means to mask or hide."
I am not even going to try to figure out how a word can be past, plural, and feminine; I may be able to understand it if I ponder it a while, but I have other things to do. Like finish writing this and go read other books. I also saw an edition with the title "The masquerade" and one titled "The masked", take your pick, the one I have is The Fancy Dress Party" so we'll go with that.
Moravia didn't like Fascism at all apparently, he once remarked that:
" the most important facts of his life had been his illness, a tubercular infection of the bones that confined him to a bed for five years, and Fascism, because they both caused him to suffer and do things he otherwise would not have done. "It is what we are forced to do that forms our character, not what we do of our own free will."
And the Fascist government wasn't thrilled with him either because the novel was seized and banned by Mussolini’s Fascist regime in Italy, they weren't happy with the unflattering portrayal of a dictator who may have been based on Mussolini, then again maybe he wasn't. Either way, the novel was banned, this is what Moravia said about it in an interview:
"Ah, now that you mention it, that was one time when I was concerned with writing social criticism. The only time, however. In 1936, I went to Mexico, and the Hispano-American scene suggested to me the idea for a satire. I returned and for several years toyed with the idea. Then, in 1940, I went to Capri and wrote it. What happened afterward—you asked about the censors—is an amusing story. At least it seems amusing now. It was 1940. We were in the full flood of war, Fascism, censorship, et cetera, et cetera. The manuscript, once ready, like all manuscripts, had to be submitted to the Ministry of Popular Culture for approval. This Ministry, let me explain, was overrun by grammar-school teachers who received three hundred lire, about six or seven thousand now, for each book they read. And, of course, to preserve their sinecures, whenever possible they turned in negative judgments. Well, I submitted the manuscript. But whoever read it, not wishing to take any position on the book, passed it to the Under Secretary; the Under Secretary, with similar qualms, passed it to the Secretary; the Secretary to the Minister; and the Minister, finally—to Mussolini."
He goes on to say that Mussolini actually ordered the book to be published and at first it was, but month later, he received an unsigned communication notifying him that the book was being withdrawn. The book didn’t appear again till after the Liberation.
Our novel takes place in:
"a certain country on the other side of the ocean, whose population had been decimated, ruined and exhausted by almost ten years of violent civil war..."
See, it wasn't even in Italy, I don't know what Mussolini would have been so upset about. We now have General Tereso Arango, who after all these years of civil war is now the "guiding hand" of the country. I guess either his side won or the other side, or in this case lots of other sides, got tired of fighting. We are told he was a brave man who conquered half a dozen generals who, were at the head of various armies each competing for power. See, lots of other sides. The general's tastes are soldierly, we're told, he likes dinners with his old companions, a cockfight, a bullfight, popular theater or a good history book. He has no interest in the brilliant society of his capital and no interest in fancy dress parties, but he has fallen in love with Fausta Sanachez, a young and beautiful widow in high society. People in the novels I read are always falling in love for absolutely no reason at all and the general is no different. Reason or not, because of his love for Fausta he agrees to go to the home of the Duchess Gorina, the most hospitable lady in the whole country. She has never been able to get Tereso to one of her parties and now she has found a way through Fausta. Fausta, by the way, is in on the plan, she is planning to becoming Tereso's mistress eventually after she gets certain favors from him. Meanwhile, she's busy with a few other men.
And while all this is going on we have Osvaldo Cinco, the chief of police:
"a small, hunchbacked man, with a hunchback's characteristically large, sickly sweet face, and was celebrated throughout the land for his stud of pedigree bulls"
He has been observing that the influence he always had with Tereso was diminishing now that everything is nice and peaceful in the country and the General is loved by his people. We are told:
"His government was tending to become more and more benignant and fatherly; as times changed the old, violent companions of his early struggles were no longer needed."
So Cinco thinks he will soon be out of a job and he comes up with this plan to stage a fake assassination attempt against the general, and at the last minute he will rush in and save Tereso and be the big hero and live happily ever after. Something like that. So he gets in touch with one of his many collaborators, one he trusted absolutely, a man called Perro. Cinco tells Perro what he wants done, and Perro agrees to go along with it, after all he wants to be the chief of police someday, and now they need another man, exactly the right man - "some deluded idiot, some madman or simpleton" that they can talk into trying to kill Tereso. And that brings the fervent, but not too smart revolutionary Saverio into the story when he is recruited to be the assassin. And that brings Sebastiano, half-brother of Saverio into the book, he doesn't care about political issues at all, but he is in love with Fausta (of course) and thinks that if he goes along with the plot, that he thinks is real, and then rushes in at the last minute to save Fausta she will love him forever. I'm not sure who else is brought into the story by all this confusion, there is the servant girl, Giustina, who falls in love with Sebastiano, only she thinks his name is Ricardito, then when the Duchess sees him she goes out of her way to throw herself at him, not seeming to notice or care how much older she is. The description of the Duchess is this:
"With her lofty crest of dyed hair, her little bleary eyes, her big red nose and her haughty mouth, she was looking even more than usual like a great parrot, frowning and full of a sort of crazy arrogance. "
He is also given a glimpse of:
"a voluminous bosom, flabby, wrinkled, red, upon which hung a great cross of purple gems. From other lacy frills issued her thick, freckled arms, reddish in color and having the appearance of meat that has been finely minced and tied up tightly in a fine, smooth membrane."
To find out if the Duchess manages to seduce Sebastiano, you'll have to read the book. I wonder who Moravia had in mind when he was describing the Duchess. The only other person I can think of is Doroteo, a golf caddy, that Fausta seems to be attracted to, why? don't ask me. He is described this way:
"a short, strongly built youth with curly red hair and a profile a little like a goat.....Fausta had been delighted at his unbelievably rough, crude way of speaking. He had a cold, pitiless brutality that fascinated her."
Anyway, it is now up to you to find out whether Tereso is saved by Cinco, or by Perro, or by Sebastiano, or if Saverio actually manages to kill him; not to mention finding out who ends up with Fausta, although why they want her in the first place puzzles me. I liked the book, go ahead and read it, if you can find it that is, I don't think I've ever seen this in a book store, and how it came to me I have no idea.
"A mascherata is a dance from the sixteenth century and was particularly popular in Florence. It was performed by costumed dancers, and frequently pantomimed Roman and Greek themes in them. At the time, it was often associated with Villanella, and performed at carnivals with the musicians and singers atop floats."
I also saw this:
'Mascherata' is the past, plural, and feminine version of 'mascherare' which means to mask or hide."
I am not even going to try to figure out how a word can be past, plural, and feminine; I may be able to understand it if I ponder it a while, but I have other things to do. Like finish writing this and go read other books. I also saw an edition with the title "The masquerade" and one titled "The masked", take your pick, the one I have is The Fancy Dress Party" so we'll go with that.
Moravia didn't like Fascism at all apparently, he once remarked that:
" the most important facts of his life had been his illness, a tubercular infection of the bones that confined him to a bed for five years, and Fascism, because they both caused him to suffer and do things he otherwise would not have done. "It is what we are forced to do that forms our character, not what we do of our own free will."
And the Fascist government wasn't thrilled with him either because the novel was seized and banned by Mussolini’s Fascist regime in Italy, they weren't happy with the unflattering portrayal of a dictator who may have been based on Mussolini, then again maybe he wasn't. Either way, the novel was banned, this is what Moravia said about it in an interview:
"Ah, now that you mention it, that was one time when I was concerned with writing social criticism. The only time, however. In 1936, I went to Mexico, and the Hispano-American scene suggested to me the idea for a satire. I returned and for several years toyed with the idea. Then, in 1940, I went to Capri and wrote it. What happened afterward—you asked about the censors—is an amusing story. At least it seems amusing now. It was 1940. We were in the full flood of war, Fascism, censorship, et cetera, et cetera. The manuscript, once ready, like all manuscripts, had to be submitted to the Ministry of Popular Culture for approval. This Ministry, let me explain, was overrun by grammar-school teachers who received three hundred lire, about six or seven thousand now, for each book they read. And, of course, to preserve their sinecures, whenever possible they turned in negative judgments. Well, I submitted the manuscript. But whoever read it, not wishing to take any position on the book, passed it to the Under Secretary; the Under Secretary, with similar qualms, passed it to the Secretary; the Secretary to the Minister; and the Minister, finally—to Mussolini."
He goes on to say that Mussolini actually ordered the book to be published and at first it was, but month later, he received an unsigned communication notifying him that the book was being withdrawn. The book didn’t appear again till after the Liberation.
Our novel takes place in:
"a certain country on the other side of the ocean, whose population had been decimated, ruined and exhausted by almost ten years of violent civil war..."
See, it wasn't even in Italy, I don't know what Mussolini would have been so upset about. We now have General Tereso Arango, who after all these years of civil war is now the "guiding hand" of the country. I guess either his side won or the other side, or in this case lots of other sides, got tired of fighting. We are told he was a brave man who conquered half a dozen generals who, were at the head of various armies each competing for power. See, lots of other sides. The general's tastes are soldierly, we're told, he likes dinners with his old companions, a cockfight, a bullfight, popular theater or a good history book. He has no interest in the brilliant society of his capital and no interest in fancy dress parties, but he has fallen in love with Fausta Sanachez, a young and beautiful widow in high society. People in the novels I read are always falling in love for absolutely no reason at all and the general is no different. Reason or not, because of his love for Fausta he agrees to go to the home of the Duchess Gorina, the most hospitable lady in the whole country. She has never been able to get Tereso to one of her parties and now she has found a way through Fausta. Fausta, by the way, is in on the plan, she is planning to becoming Tereso's mistress eventually after she gets certain favors from him. Meanwhile, she's busy with a few other men.
And while all this is going on we have Osvaldo Cinco, the chief of police:
"a small, hunchbacked man, with a hunchback's characteristically large, sickly sweet face, and was celebrated throughout the land for his stud of pedigree bulls"
He has been observing that the influence he always had with Tereso was diminishing now that everything is nice and peaceful in the country and the General is loved by his people. We are told:
"His government was tending to become more and more benignant and fatherly; as times changed the old, violent companions of his early struggles were no longer needed."
So Cinco thinks he will soon be out of a job and he comes up with this plan to stage a fake assassination attempt against the general, and at the last minute he will rush in and save Tereso and be the big hero and live happily ever after. Something like that. So he gets in touch with one of his many collaborators, one he trusted absolutely, a man called Perro. Cinco tells Perro what he wants done, and Perro agrees to go along with it, after all he wants to be the chief of police someday, and now they need another man, exactly the right man - "some deluded idiot, some madman or simpleton" that they can talk into trying to kill Tereso. And that brings the fervent, but not too smart revolutionary Saverio into the story when he is recruited to be the assassin. And that brings Sebastiano, half-brother of Saverio into the book, he doesn't care about political issues at all, but he is in love with Fausta (of course) and thinks that if he goes along with the plot, that he thinks is real, and then rushes in at the last minute to save Fausta she will love him forever. I'm not sure who else is brought into the story by all this confusion, there is the servant girl, Giustina, who falls in love with Sebastiano, only she thinks his name is Ricardito, then when the Duchess sees him she goes out of her way to throw herself at him, not seeming to notice or care how much older she is. The description of the Duchess is this:
"With her lofty crest of dyed hair, her little bleary eyes, her big red nose and her haughty mouth, she was looking even more than usual like a great parrot, frowning and full of a sort of crazy arrogance. "
He is also given a glimpse of:
"a voluminous bosom, flabby, wrinkled, red, upon which hung a great cross of purple gems. From other lacy frills issued her thick, freckled arms, reddish in color and having the appearance of meat that has been finely minced and tied up tightly in a fine, smooth membrane."
To find out if the Duchess manages to seduce Sebastiano, you'll have to read the book. I wonder who Moravia had in mind when he was describing the Duchess. The only other person I can think of is Doroteo, a golf caddy, that Fausta seems to be attracted to, why? don't ask me. He is described this way:
"a short, strongly built youth with curly red hair and a profile a little like a goat.....Fausta had been delighted at his unbelievably rough, crude way of speaking. He had a cold, pitiless brutality that fascinated her."
Anyway, it is now up to you to find out whether Tereso is saved by Cinco, or by Perro, or by Sebastiano, or if Saverio actually manages to kill him; not to mention finding out who ends up with Fausta, although why they want her in the first place puzzles me. I liked the book, go ahead and read it, if you can find it that is, I don't think I've ever seen this in a book store, and how it came to me I have no idea.
August 7, 2020
Un relato costumbrista que pareciera devenir en comedia de capa y espada que da lugar a una tragedia con ligeros tintes de humor negro... La prosa clara y aparentemente desangelada de Moravia da pauta para conocer, en apenas unas cuantas páginas, la esencia de distintos estereotipos sociales: el dictador, el policía corrupto y corruptor, el revolucionario ingenuo, el amante traicionado y los engatusamientos y las seducciones femeninas. Como señalan los editores, "a través de una prosa fría, casi distanciada, mezclada de una sensualidad natural, desfilan los intérpretes de la vida cotidiana".
Una muy buena pieza para acercarse a este excelente narrador italiano, uno de los más grandes de la pasada centuria.
Una muy buena pieza para acercarse a este excelente narrador italiano, uno de los más grandes de la pasada centuria.
November 12, 2008
This novel could serve as a mandatory reading for all dictators. They would know by reading this how foolish they are and perhaps they would give their ambitions.
This was a very goon novel by Alberto Moravia, that had almost no flaws. For its era and in the purpose I suppose it was writter this was a masterpiece. Interesting is the fact that you can barely find a character in this novel that you can consider a positive one. All have, in some degrees, more or less negative attributes. The only thing that prevented me from rating this book as 5 star is the way the book is written. I believe that a part of the charm of this book is spoiled by the style of the writing, mainly by a lot of dialogues that are written in passive voice.
My copy of this book is in romanian.
This was a very goon novel by Alberto Moravia, that had almost no flaws. For its era and in the purpose I suppose it was writter this was a masterpiece. Interesting is the fact that you can barely find a character in this novel that you can consider a positive one. All have, in some degrees, more or less negative attributes. The only thing that prevented me from rating this book as 5 star is the way the book is written. I believe that a part of the charm of this book is spoiled by the style of the writing, mainly by a lot of dialogues that are written in passive voice.
My copy of this book is in romanian.
September 2, 2015
4 e mezzo.
Non riesco a dire altro se non 'che-bello'.
Ricco di colpi di scena, vivo, palpabile! Uno tra i libri meno famosi di Moravia, sequestrato e censurato dal regime fascista. Averlo trovato a 3 euro in un negozio di libri usati è stato davvero un colpo di fortuna, per non dire altro!
Non riesco a dire altro se non 'che-bello'.
Ricco di colpi di scena, vivo, palpabile! Uno tra i libri meno famosi di Moravia, sequestrato e censurato dal regime fascista. Averlo trovato a 3 euro in un negozio di libri usati è stato davvero un colpo di fortuna, per non dire altro!
August 18, 2024
For such a short book, it did manage to capture quite a detailed narrative. A plot to overturn the president general doesn't go as planned because the parties are involved in very personal and vain dramas. We get a lot of insight into the characters minds but I must say even if all the characters are vain and selfish, the women are described as mostly simple minded and shallow.
October 2, 2022
Una novela corta de Moravia en la que retrata sin compasión a unas clases altas sin escrúpulos ni moral.
https://liblit.com/alberto-moravia-la...
https://liblit.com/alberto-moravia-la...
April 3, 2020
Very different from Moravia's more famous novels, this book reads like a '60s Blake Edwards farce. The claim that it's some sort of satire about Mussolini doesn't really hold up; if anything, Moravia spends a lot of time portraying Communists as rigid, clueless buffoons. Overall, kind of amusing but not worth seeking out.
March 18, 2021
După aproape zece ani de crâncen război civil, naţiunea de peste ocean, decimată, distrusă, secătuită, îşi încredinţase soarta în mâinile generalului Tereso Arango.
Pe cât de curajos, pe atât de vigilent, Tereso supravieţuise şi învinsese o jumătate de duzină de generali care, în fruntea armatelor, îşi disputaseră puterea de-a lungul celor zece ani de grele lupte interne.
Tereso avea gusturi simple, militare, ca să nu le numim chiar primitive. Societatea strălucită a capitalei cu greu s-ar fi putut lăuda că l-a putut vedea mai de aproape, cu excepţia sărbătorilor patriotice şi a parăzilor militare. Saloanelor şi recepţiilor din înalta societate, Tereso le prefera cinele intime în compania vechilor tovarăşi de arme, luptele de cocoşi, coridele, teatrele populare sau, de ce nu, o carte bună de istorie sau muzica uşoară a unei obscure orchestre de chitară.
Pe cât de curajos, pe atât de vigilent, Tereso supravieţuise şi învinsese o jumătate de duzină de generali care, în fruntea armatelor, îşi disputaseră puterea de-a lungul celor zece ani de grele lupte interne.
Tereso avea gusturi simple, militare, ca să nu le numim chiar primitive. Societatea strălucită a capitalei cu greu s-ar fi putut lăuda că l-a putut vedea mai de aproape, cu excepţia sărbătorilor patriotice şi a parăzilor militare. Saloanelor şi recepţiilor din înalta societate, Tereso le prefera cinele intime în compania vechilor tovarăşi de arme, luptele de cocoşi, coridele, teatrele populare sau, de ce nu, o carte bună de istorie sau muzica uşoară a unei obscure orchestre de chitară.
December 1, 2018
È molto interessante che questo libro sia stato letto così poco. Penso che Moravia utilizzi tutto il suo talento per creare una struttura complessa nel testo per criticare la società borghese. Anche se ci sono molti personaggi e tutti coinvolgono diversi tipi di malizia, si può facilmente capire cosa succede nella narrazione, come le relazioni tra le persone svolgono e come la narrazione da il messaggio dell'autore.
November 16, 2021
Uno dei libri meglio riusciti del Moravia, sia per intreccio narrativo che per importanza tematica. La centralità del romanzo passa da un dittatore, ad una spia, ad un ragazzo e alfine ad una donna. Tutti hanno un ruolo nel romanzo, con un finale tragico come in altri romanzi dell'autore. Consigliato come libro!
August 29, 2019
Novela corta y rapida que el final no te lo esperas; historia donde una mujer que se atreve a jugar con los sentimientos de los hombres con el fin de perseguir sus intereses, se enfrenta a una mala jugada del destino. Muy recomendable cuando lo que quieres es una lectura ligera.
August 8, 2019
与其说是攻击政权，毋宁说是表达对政治的厌恶。认为“最粗鄙的事莫过于有信念”的孱弱中二青年在最后一刻以被欺骗和抛弃的方式逃脱。给四星因为写得好，不是因为其立场有什么用，事实上写作中对模糊性的执着追求可能才是作者身上真正值得尊敬的部分。导读不错。
February 19, 2021
Retrato de uma sociedade enferma e corrupta.
June 8, 2024
"În afară de gustul pentru prefăcătorie, Perro avea un simţ înnăscut al intrigii, al trădării şi al jocului.
I se părea că mai puternic era el, care îi făcea pe oameni să vorbească urmându-şi pasiunile lor cele mai secrete şi primejdioase, decât Tereso, care îi punea să meargă câte patru, cu puşca la umăr.
Perro se imagina demiurgul tuturor acelora pe care îi trăgea pe sfoară, un păpuşar protagonist al unei farse complicate. Nu-l speriau prea tare consecinţele acestei trădări permanente, fie că era vorba de închisoare sau de zidul de execuţie. Se simţea motivat de slujba pe care o avea. Chiar şi fără această motivaţie ar fi acţionat în acelaşi mod. Era ambiţios şi spera să ocupe într-o zi poziţia care astăzi îi aparţinea lui Cinco.
Perro credea că, în anumite circumstanţe, cel care conduce nu e guvernul, ci poliţia. El aspira la funcţia de şef al poliţiei, din care ar fi putut deveni un fel de eminenţă cenuşie pe lângă Tereso, acum bătrân şi obosit; putea astfel să transforme ţara întreagă într-un teatru de intrigi, într-o orgie a trădării."
I se părea că mai puternic era el, care îi făcea pe oameni să vorbească urmându-şi pasiunile lor cele mai secrete şi primejdioase, decât Tereso, care îi punea să meargă câte patru, cu puşca la umăr.
Perro se imagina demiurgul tuturor acelora pe care îi trăgea pe sfoară, un păpuşar protagonist al unei farse complicate. Nu-l speriau prea tare consecinţele acestei trădări permanente, fie că era vorba de închisoare sau de zidul de execuţie. Se simţea motivat de slujba pe care o avea. Chiar şi fără această motivaţie ar fi acţionat în acelaşi mod. Era ambiţios şi spera să ocupe într-o zi poziţia care astăzi îi aparţinea lui Cinco.
Perro credea că, în anumite circumstanţe, cel care conduce nu e guvernul, ci poliţia. El aspira la funcţia de şef al poliţiei, din care ar fi putut deveni un fel de eminenţă cenuşie pe lângă Tereso, acum bătrân şi obosit; putea astfel să transforme ţara întreagă într-un teatru de intrigi, într-o orgie a trădării."
September 10, 2024
الترجمة جيدة
لكن المسرحية نفسها ساذجة او ان مورافيا أرادها ان تكون ساذجة .
لكن المسرحية نفسها ساذجة او ان مورافيا أرادها ان تكون ساذجة .
August 29, 2013
"Neste romance, simultaneamente arrojado e generoso, Alberto Moravia revela-se, mais do que em qualquer outra obra, o pintor amargo de um mundo burguês povoado por personagens amorais"
Foi o meu pai que me levou a ler este autor, comprámos este livro numas daquelas feiras do livros dos hipermercados.
Fiquei um pouco apreensiva e no início e fiz algumas confusões e vi-me obrigada a voltar ao princípio. No entanto, gostei bastante, nunca tinha lido nada do género e devo dizer que me lembro de ter ficado fã do autor ao acabar o livro.
Tudo se passa num país inexistente, que vive numa ditadura. A história envolve-nos numa espécie de Golpe de Estado que um grupo de revolucionários pretente fazer.
Depois há uma personagem feminina que capta as atenções de todos, incluindo do ditador - uma personagem curiosa e bastante exótica.
Foi o meu pai que me levou a ler este autor, comprámos este livro numas daquelas feiras do livros dos hipermercados.
Fiquei um pouco apreensiva e no início e fiz algumas confusões e vi-me obrigada a voltar ao princípio. No entanto, gostei bastante, nunca tinha lido nada do género e devo dizer que me lembro de ter ficado fã do autor ao acabar o livro.
Tudo se passa num país inexistente, que vive numa ditadura. A história envolve-nos numa espécie de Golpe de Estado que um grupo de revolucionários pretente fazer.
Depois há uma personagem feminina que capta as atenções de todos, incluindo do ditador - uma personagem curiosa e bastante exótica.
September 23, 2014
What starts as a daisy chain of caricatures -- first the Duchess, then the fascist President, then the Chief of Police, then his unscrupulous assistant; each introduced chapter by chapter -- promises to build into a zany satirical farce but not so. Not so at all. Instead, Moravia's novella culminates in an inappropriately lighthearted rape and a sudden (if plausible) murder. There's a deadly serious statement being made in how Moravia refuses to end in laughter but it's not mortifying enough.
August 11, 2015
The novel is a big farce, a hoax about dictatorship and love. None of the characters meet their expectations, although they follow their own interest and have great hopes from each other. It's fun to read, but filled with to many descriptions and repetitions.
Although the book was first published in 1941, the depiction style and explanations remind me of romanticism. It is an elaborated work though, like a movie with many twists and unexpected ending.
Although the book was first published in 1941, the depiction style and explanations remind me of romanticism. It is an elaborated work though, like a movie with many twists and unexpected ending.
July 14, 2016
لست عموما من هواة مشاهدة المسرحيات، لكن قراءتها شيئا اخر، هذه المسرحية، مثل عديد الاعمال الادبية ليست الا اسقاط علي الحياة السياسية لعصرها، و تصلح لاي بلد و عصر ديكتاتوري ايضا، وتيرة الاحداث متناسقة و جذابة، و لكن النهاية لم تكن موفقة ، و بها شيء من العجالة و التسرع، و من هنا التقييم بنجمتان.
August 25, 2013
Moravia, întotdeauna de o splendoare pe care n-o poți contra cu nimic.
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