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Πορπορίνο ή τα μυστήρια της Νάπολης
Ο αφηγητής του βιβλίου, Πορπορίνο, μαθητής της σχολής των Ναπολιτάνων ευνούχων τραγουδιστών επί βασιλείας Φερδινάνδου, στα χρόνια του 1770, είναι πρόσωπο φανταστικό, σε αντίθεση με τους περισσότερους άλλους ήρωες που περνούν από τις σελίδες αυτού του μυθιστορήματος: ο πρίγκιπας του Σανσέβερο, πνεύμα καθολικό στο μεταίχμιο της μεγαλοφυΐας και της τρέλας, ο Αντόνιο Περοκάντι, ορθολογιστής ελευθεροτέκτονας, η ωραία Σάρα Γκουντάρ και η λαίδη Χάμιλτον, ο νεαρός Μότσαρτ, ο γερο-Καζανόβας και ο περίφημος Φαρινέλι, πιο διάσημος στην εποχή του απ' όσο η Κάλλας στη δική μας.
Ο αναγνώστης, παράλληλα με την ατομική ιστορία του Πορπορίνο, ανακαλύπτει -θαυμαστά αναστημένη από τη λήθη- αυτό που υπήρξε η Νάπολη την εποχή εκείνη: μια μεγάλη πόλη με μεγαλόπρεπα κτίρια, πρωτεύουσα της αρχιτεκτονικής και των τεχνών, τόπος συνάντησης της φωτισμένης Ευρώπης όπως το Παρίσι, μητρόπολη της όπερας και μοναδική «Καστράπολη» του κόσμου.
Ο αναγνώστης, παράλληλα με την ατομική ιστορία του Πορπορίνο, ανακαλύπτει -θαυμαστά αναστημένη από τη λήθη- αυτό που υπήρξε η Νάπολη την εποχή εκείνη: μια μεγάλη πόλη με μεγαλόπρεπα κτίρια, πρωτεύουσα της αρχιτεκτονικής και των τεχνών, τόπος συνάντησης της φωτισμένης Ευρώπης όπως το Παρίσι, μητρόπολη της όπερας και μοναδική «Καστράπολη» του κόσμου.
480 pages, Hardcover
First published October 8, 1974
2 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
Dominique Fernandez
176 books18 followersNé le 25 août 1929 à Neuilly-sur-Seine, Dominique Fernandez est ancien élève de l’École normale supérieure et agrégé d'Italien (1955). Il devient en 1957, professeur à l’Institut Français de Naples. Il soutient sa thèse sur L’Échec de Pavese, et est nommé professeur d’italien à l’université de Haute-Bretagne.
Depuis 1958, il mène carrière d’écrivain et de critique littéraire, d’abord à la Quinzaine Littéraire, et à L’Express, puis au Nouvel Observateur.
En 1974, Porporino ou les Mystères de Naples est couronné par le Prix Médicis. Ce roman met en scène, un castrat napolitain au XVIIIe siècle. Une fresque colorée qui offre une pluralité de lectures, historique, idéologique et freudienne. De ce roman a été tiré un opéra, joué au festival d’Aix-en-Provence.
Dominique Fernandez a inventé la « psychobiographie » utilisée déjà en 1967 dans L’échec de Pavese.
Il obtient en 1982 le Prix Goncourt avec Dans la main de l’ange. Un roman qui puise dans la vie de Pasolini, écrivain et cinéaste italien assassiné à Ostie en 1975.
Élu à l’Académie française, le 8 mars 2007, au fauteuil de Jean Bernard (25e fauteuil).
Source : site officiel de l'Académie française
Depuis 1958, il mène carrière d’écrivain et de critique littéraire, d’abord à la Quinzaine Littéraire, et à L’Express, puis au Nouvel Observateur.
En 1974, Porporino ou les Mystères de Naples est couronné par le Prix Médicis. Ce roman met en scène, un castrat napolitain au XVIIIe siècle. Une fresque colorée qui offre une pluralité de lectures, historique, idéologique et freudienne. De ce roman a été tiré un opéra, joué au festival d’Aix-en-Provence.
Dominique Fernandez a inventé la « psychobiographie » utilisée déjà en 1967 dans L’échec de Pavese.
Il obtient en 1982 le Prix Goncourt avec Dans la main de l’ange. Un roman qui puise dans la vie de Pasolini, écrivain et cinéaste italien assassiné à Ostie en 1975.
Élu à l’Académie française, le 8 mars 2007, au fauteuil de Jean Bernard (25e fauteuil).
Source : site officiel de l'Académie française
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 28, 2025
Génialissime
February 23, 2020
This book could easily belong to another time. In the great tradition of Casanova's memoirs, it mixes historical facts with gossip, personal anecdotes, and a grander history. The narrative is not modern, which I understand for some readers could be a bit hard to follow; I personally found it inspiring and theater-like. It manages to paint good portraits of people that really existed keeping them historical and ideal at once.
The book is deeply neapolitan in spirit, the way Neapels must have been in the 18th century. Beauty and grotesque are constantly present in the book at the same time, but it feels like a choice, which I personally find refreshing and interesting in a time that is so enthusiastic about "realism". It also makes it a niche book, as the average modern reader would probably have a hard time figuring out what to make of it. This is the main reason why the last star is missing. I also wonder how much of it is understandable and equally enjoyable if one is not familiar with the personalities who dominated the cultural life in Neaples during the second end of the 18th century. I had some prior knowledge, so it definitely work for me, but I suspect that might not be the case for someone less interested in the timperiod.
I would love to find a bibliography of it, somewhere: some information is incredible and I would love to learn more about it.
The book is deeply neapolitan in spirit, the way Neapels must have been in the 18th century. Beauty and grotesque are constantly present in the book at the same time, but it feels like a choice, which I personally find refreshing and interesting in a time that is so enthusiastic about "realism". It also makes it a niche book, as the average modern reader would probably have a hard time figuring out what to make of it. This is the main reason why the last star is missing. I also wonder how much of it is understandable and equally enjoyable if one is not familiar with the personalities who dominated the cultural life in Neaples during the second end of the 18th century. I had some prior knowledge, so it definitely work for me, but I suspect that might not be the case for someone less interested in the timperiod.
I would love to find a bibliography of it, somewhere: some information is incredible and I would love to learn more about it.
November 2, 2013
Weird and boring.
It's clear that the author had done a lot of research into the castrati to write the book, the thing was just chock full of real historical asides about real people, including an appearance from a young Mozart to talk about his visit with Farinelli and a scene at the front door of a retired Caffarelli's house. The book was historically rich, although I'd question the authenticity of "telling the story" of who the castrati were in Italian culture, nothing was too historically wild in the accuracy in that direction.
Except, of course, pretty much everything else about it is totally wild. Other than our narrator, likable country boy Porporino, the main characters were the Prince (who was a real person), a creepy mad scientist, Feliciano, a fellow castrato and total jerk, and the Duke Don Manuele who is in unrequited love with Feliciano. Using these four, and a few other people, the book seems to alternate between long boring expository segments set in Italian salons, where everyone but Porporino talks forever about whatever the author found in their research, and weird and unsatisfying homoeroticism.
The stars are for the extensive research and the authors' clear affection for castrati, but not much else to recommend the book.
It's clear that the author had done a lot of research into the castrati to write the book, the thing was just chock full of real historical asides about real people, including an appearance from a young Mozart to talk about his visit with Farinelli and a scene at the front door of a retired Caffarelli's house. The book was historically rich, although I'd question the authenticity of "telling the story" of who the castrati were in Italian culture, nothing was too historically wild in the accuracy in that direction.
Except, of course, pretty much everything else about it is totally wild. Other than our narrator, likable country boy Porporino, the main characters were the Prince (who was a real person), a creepy mad scientist, Feliciano, a fellow castrato and total jerk, and the Duke Don Manuele who is in unrequited love with Feliciano. Using these four, and a few other people, the book seems to alternate between long boring expository segments set in Italian salons, where everyone but Porporino talks forever about whatever the author found in their research, and weird and unsatisfying homoeroticism.
The stars are for the extensive research and the authors' clear affection for castrati, but not much else to recommend the book.
August 19, 2020
« Porporino ou les mystères de Naples » de Dominique Fernandez ou comment un roman sous forme de faux mémoires d’un castrat imaginaire questionne la différenciation des genres et l’essentialisation des identités.
March 10, 2024
I have to say that this book was the great reading disappointments of 2021. I went to a little bit of trouble and expense to acquire a copy and was immensely disappointed. Where to begin?
Everything that is wrong with this book can be found in this quotation "...Just as today (the book was published in 1974), when young people are tending towards sexual undifferentiation - long haired boys, narrow hipped girls, unisex styles and a quest for an ancient paradise separate from the adult world...." This phrase, or one similar to it, is used several times in the book - it is clearly a leitmotif or at least a sign of Fernandez was totally on heat (this book has been described elsewhere as his 'coming out' I presume this is meant sexually - I understand Fernandez was Gay or as the French would have said at the time 'pedarest' - which really doesn't have anything to do with child molesters). But honestly get a grip - boys can grow their hair, but outside of anorexia girls cannot make themselves slim hipped! But Fernandez sees the castrati as forbearers of the exciting world of hippy uni-sexualism that was happening in the 1960s and early 1970s and, as far as he was concerned was the sign of what the future was going to be. The whole 1960's early 70's was clearly a great influence, and, his obsession and belief that it was earth shaking and permanent should be a warning to all writers at how transient and ephemeral and ultimately unimportant the 'headline' making things often are. After all barely eighteen months later long haired hippy stuff was overwhelmed by punk rock and has never been seen or heard of again.
But the really awful thing about this book is that he really has no understanding of what it meant to be made a castrati, he certainly doesn't realize or say that it was boys from very poor families who were sold, if it was thought they might have potential as a singer, to scouts looking for boys who might have potential who then had them castrated and sent to schools like the one in Naples, were they received an education but where everyone was watching to see what would happen when the boys hit puberty - and the truth was for every boy whose voice was that of a potential star there were dozens who weren't. In many cases their singing voice disappeared all together and there only future was as teachers, most would have enough of a voice to scrap by in the choir of some provincial cathedral. It was a gruesome price that so many paid for the very, very, few who would emerge to be stars. I don't mean to say that Anne Rice's 'Cry to Heaven' is in any sense worthy of a literary prize (Porporino received the prix Medici) but she and her book has a much better, more insightful and honest grasp of the period and the world of the Castrati. It is also so much more honest sexually then this one - although Fernandez may have thought he was being daring he is ridiculous discreet - after all he was writing in French and Genet (and many other French writers - even an old queen like Peyrefitte had been a thousand times more explicit by this time) - he only really ever mentions the Castrati boys kissing - although maybe something is lost in translation because it seems within context to be implying a great deal more.
I could go on - I would recommend if you are interested try and see if you can at least look at a copy in a library before purchasing one - it will save you a great deal of disappointment.
Everything that is wrong with this book can be found in this quotation "...Just as today (the book was published in 1974), when young people are tending towards sexual undifferentiation - long haired boys, narrow hipped girls, unisex styles and a quest for an ancient paradise separate from the adult world...." This phrase, or one similar to it, is used several times in the book - it is clearly a leitmotif or at least a sign of Fernandez was totally on heat (this book has been described elsewhere as his 'coming out' I presume this is meant sexually - I understand Fernandez was Gay or as the French would have said at the time 'pedarest' - which really doesn't have anything to do with child molesters). But honestly get a grip - boys can grow their hair, but outside of anorexia girls cannot make themselves slim hipped! But Fernandez sees the castrati as forbearers of the exciting world of hippy uni-sexualism that was happening in the 1960s and early 1970s and, as far as he was concerned was the sign of what the future was going to be. The whole 1960's early 70's was clearly a great influence, and, his obsession and belief that it was earth shaking and permanent should be a warning to all writers at how transient and ephemeral and ultimately unimportant the 'headline' making things often are. After all barely eighteen months later long haired hippy stuff was overwhelmed by punk rock and has never been seen or heard of again.
But the really awful thing about this book is that he really has no understanding of what it meant to be made a castrati, he certainly doesn't realize or say that it was boys from very poor families who were sold, if it was thought they might have potential as a singer, to scouts looking for boys who might have potential who then had them castrated and sent to schools like the one in Naples, were they received an education but where everyone was watching to see what would happen when the boys hit puberty - and the truth was for every boy whose voice was that of a potential star there were dozens who weren't. In many cases their singing voice disappeared all together and there only future was as teachers, most would have enough of a voice to scrap by in the choir of some provincial cathedral. It was a gruesome price that so many paid for the very, very, few who would emerge to be stars. I don't mean to say that Anne Rice's 'Cry to Heaven' is in any sense worthy of a literary prize (Porporino received the prix Medici) but she and her book has a much better, more insightful and honest grasp of the period and the world of the Castrati. It is also so much more honest sexually then this one - although Fernandez may have thought he was being daring he is ridiculous discreet - after all he was writing in French and Genet (and many other French writers - even an old queen like Peyrefitte had been a thousand times more explicit by this time) - he only really ever mentions the Castrati boys kissing - although maybe something is lost in translation because it seems within context to be implying a great deal more.
I could go on - I would recommend if you are interested try and see if you can at least look at a copy in a library before purchasing one - it will save you a great deal of disappointment.
November 25, 2015
Socant si fascinant; scriitorul ajunge la cititor si gratie unei cunoasteri adinci a barocului, intr-o prezentare captivanta.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews