I semidei

by James Stephens, Anna Ravano (Translator)

Questo romanzo ha inizio «poco lontano dal luogo dove gli angeli si posarono per la prima volta sulla terra». Era una collina deserta, senza movimenti, se non talvolta quello di uno «scarabeo che passava lento come una pallottola esausta». E lì si incontrarono tre angeli, belli e maestosi, con due esseri sperduti e poco raccomandabili dell’Irlanda, Patsy Mac Cann e sua figlia Mary, circondata da «ciarpame e carabattole». Presto li troveremo che vagabondano insieme, e il loro vagare attira le avventure che compongono I semidei. Forse nessuno scrittore del nostro secolo ha avuto in dono una naturalezza paragonabile a quella di James Stephens nel trattare il prodigioso. Stephens sembra raccontare sempre una piccola cronaca di tutti i giorni: e poi il lettore si accorge che si trova in mezzo a creature variamente sovrannaturali, sospeso fra cieli e inferni, provvisoriamente calcando il suolo della terra, «bella come il suono di acque scroscianti». Ma tutto questo ci appare, nella sua stranezza, del tutto familiare. Così gli angeli, dopo aver riposto in un fagotto le loro ali e le loro vesti sontuose, per non dar troppo nell’occhio, entrano subito nelle vene della realtà terrestre, finché quella realtà tornerà a essere «più esasperante e incomprensibile di qualsiasi prodigio». Un lieve soffio di comicità percorre ogni anfratto di questo libro, si mescola ai numerosi apologhi, alle avventure intrecciate dei protagonisti. Ma non è una comicità irridente. C’è in essa qualcosa di affettuoso e saggio, come volesse soprattutto avvertirci che tutto quello che accade qui da noi non è che l’ultima variante di una vecchissima vicenda cosmica di amore, odio, disprezzo, bramosia, avarizia, tenerezza e inganno. Ancor più delle storie, che tendono a essere sempre le stesse, conta l’arte del raccontarle. Accade così a Stephens di venire a somigliare a un certo vecchio del Connaught di cui qui si parla: «imbastiva una storia con niente, e tu stavi lì ad ascoltarlo a bocca aperta con la paura che tra poco sarebbe finita, e magari era soltanto la storia di una gallina bianca che aveva fatto un uovo scuro! Ti raccontava una cosa che sapevi da tutta la vita, e tu credevi che fosse nuova di zecca. Nel cervello di quest’uomo non c’era vecchiaia: è questo il segreto». I semidei è del 1914.

Genres: Fiction, Classics, Fantasy, Ireland

215 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1914

About the author

James Stephens was an Irish novelist and poet. James' mother worked in the home of the Collins family of Dublin and was adopted by them. He attended school with his adopted brothers Thomas and Richard (Tom and Dick) before graduating as a solicitor's clerk. They competed and won several athletic competitions despite James' slight stature (he stood 4'10" in his socks). He was known affectionately as 'Tiny Tim'. He was much enthralled by tales of military valour of his adoptive family and would have been a soldier except for his height. By the early 1900s James was increasingly inclined to socialism and the Irish language (he could speak and write Irish) and by 1912 was a dedicated Irish Republican. He was a close friend of the 1916 leader Thomas MacDonagh, who was then editor of "The Irish Review", manager of the Irish Theatre and deputy headmaster in St Enda's, the radical bilingual Montessori school run by PH Pearse, and spent most with MacDonagh in 1911. His growing nationalism brought a schism with his adopted family.
James Stephens produced many retellings of Irish myths and fairy tales. His retellings are marked by a rare combination of humour and lyricism (Deirdre, and Irish Fairy Tales are often especially praised). He also wrote several original novels (Crock of Gold, Etched in Moonlight, Demi-Gods) based loosely on Irish fairy tales. "Crock of Gold," in particular, achieved enduring popularity and was reprinted frequently throughout the author's lifetime.
Stephens began his career as a poet with the tutelage of "Æ" (George William Russell). His first book of poems, "Insurrections," was published in 1909. His last book, "Kings and the Moon" (1938), was also a volume of verse.
During the 1930s, Stephens had some acquaintance with James Joyce, who mistakenly believed that they shared a birthday. Joyce, who was concerned with his ability to finish what later became Finnegans Wake, proposed that Stephens assist him, with the authorship credited to JJ & S (James Joyce & Stephens, also a pun for the popular Irish whiskey made by John Jameson & Sons). The plan, however, was never implemented, as Joyce was able to complete the work on his own.
During the last decade of his life, Stephens found a new audience through a series of broadcasts on the BBC.

Reviews

[Max Nemtsov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Еще один, гораздо менее известный роман великого ирландского сказочника — и в той же, в общем, вселенной, что и «Горшок золота». И ничем не хуже, хотя, как показывает статистика, читало его гораздо меньше народу. Он тоже про людей — про очень ирландских мужчин и женщин, про их непростые и весьма бурные (а это тема у Стивенза) взаимоотношения полов и, в общем, конечно, про любовь. Там опять, к нашей вящей радости, присутствуют философский осел и говорящие пауки (не договорили в «Горшке»). И — на сей раз — ангелы. А публика — прекрасная и народная: деклассированные элементы, бродяги, лудильщики и воры.
Написано все так же великолепно и идиосинкратично — никогда не знаешь, что ждет за следующим поворотом сюжета. Роман — как ирландская дорога, где и происходит все дело, от Донегола до Керри и обратно. Ничего предсказуемого, никаких шаблонов и рецептов, подарки на каждой странице (а одна — так прямо лучший панегирик библиотекам и книгам, что мне попадался). Волшебно.

[The Usual · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think what we have here is another poet's novel. It isn't a fairy tale, and it certainly isn't for children, but there is something of the fairy tale about it; a kind of complicated simplicity, a not-quite innocence. Certainly it's very Irish.

I think if you enjoyed the Crock of Gold you might be charmed by it.

[Laura_sof · Rating 4 out of 5]

che bello aggiungersi ai vagabondaggi di questo gruppo stranamente assortito, composto da tre angeli, Patsy Mac Cann e sua figlia Mary, seguirli nelle loro avventure e disavventure. In certi momenti mi sembrava di essere seduta lì con loro, davanti al braciere, a mangiare patate e ad ascoltare le loro storie.

[Kevin Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This seems like a re-hash of Crock of Gold, but not as good. A no-good father and adult daughter wanted the Irish countryside, and some angels accompany them. There's little point to any of it except for a slow atonement by the father. Not terribly amusing, but interesting enough to finish.

[Nicola Balestri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sono quasi convinto che questo libro sia stato sui comodini di Coelho e Hesse per molto tempo

[Ксения Чистопольская · Rating 5 out of 5]

Кажется, только такие книги я сейчас и могу читать: сказки про бродяг и ангелов.

[Katherine Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having loved The Crock of Gold some years ago, I dipped into this book after acquiring a hardbound for my used bookstore. Of course it didn't have the appeal of Stephens' most famous book but it had the storytelling quality and the charm of the Irish voice. It was about three angels who landed on earth and went around with Padriac McCann and his daughter, touring. The book is comprised of four character stories. It was a little disappointing because the angels became observers and they really acted oddly while Padriac and the characters featured in stories took on more action and plot. The angels figured in a cosmic story which included Cuchalain. I found the book to be lulling bedtime reading because the Irish voice and the lyrical style caught me every time I opened it. It was worth reading to the end because the end was marvelous.

[Kari Ely · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the tale of a pair of vagabonds who encounter a trio of angels who have come to earth to experience human existence, and as such it can't help but become a bit of a treatise on human nature. It gets a bit heavy-handed at times, but has some interesting points to make. Extra points for it's lovely, lyrical, lilting style and for its flashes of humor.