Siberian Education - by Nicolai Lilin - Review by Maria Teresa De Donato

 

Siberian Education by Nicolai Lilin

 Review by Maria Teresa De Donato

 

Violent, ruthless, at times obscene, and even traumatizing, this Memoir by Nicolai Lilin is undoubtedly not for everyone. Yet, despite the crudeness of the stories, the narrative is fluent, pleasant, profound, full of meaning and life lessons, and, paradoxically, in some respects, equally fascinating.

Those who maintain a dualistic view and divide the World and, consequently, the Whole into beautiful or ugly, good or bad, right or wrong will have to review their position or at least discover that Reality may not necessarily be black or white, but also gray or even full of colors and shades.

These elements can be accepted or not accepted. Still, they deserve to be analyzed, even if we cannot fully understand them, because they may not be part of our experience, belief system, or evaluation standards.

The theme of Crime is extensively described, and its roots, as well as how it is conceived and experienced by the various clans, are masterfully examined and explained. Criminal organizations have always existed and, perhaps unfortunately, will always exist. However, their matrices, the foundations on which they rest, and the behavioral methods of their members are not the same but distinct, unique, and specific depending on the group.

This is the case of the Siberian Education that is received, an education that, although in this book is still linked to Crime, is characterized by a rigorous ethical and moral code that distinguishes it from all other organizations: simplicity and humility in conduct, deep respect for one's cultural identity, for one's religious beliefs, for (criminal) Authority, for the elderly, parents, women, children and their consequent protection and care of the entire community. This last aspect includes taking care of the families of members who are killed by other clans, sentenced to death or life imprisonment, or, in any case, to detention.

The ritual of tattoos, each hiding a specific content, is an aspect that I found particularly fascinating. It is a true ode to the identity and cultural and spiritual wealth of a people, the Siberian one, to be precise, fully aware and decidedly proud of their history, their habits, customs, and their ancient traditions.

The book's unexpected and, at times, even humorous ending will leave the reader with the sensation of the profound change taking place in the Author's life and of an awareness that will push him, subsequently, to opt for a U-turn in his existence while respecting and safeguarding that heritage, no longer 'criminal' but rather cultural, spiritual, ethical, and moral, that was passed down to him.

A Noble Life - Review by Maria Teresa De Donato

 

A Noble Life – A Historical Novel by Eleonora Davide

Review by Maria Teresa De Donato

 

The invitation to write a novel about the character 'Petronilla,' much loved by him, by an indirect relative of his, Francesco Paolo Coppola, Count of the Holy Roman Empire and Patrician of Scala, passionate about genealogical research as much as his rediscovered cousin Pippo D'Angelo, led to the writing of this new literary work by Eleonora Davide.

The author takes a leap in time after the historical novels set in the Middle Ages, which saw Emperors and the Papacy as protagonists and the struggles between the Lombards and the Normans for control of the territories. While maintaining contact with her land of Irpinia, and especially with her city, Monteforte, as well as with the history of the Loffredo family, to which are added in this publication that of the Revertera and the Ulloa-Severino, Eleonora embarks on a process of analysis and historical reconstruction of the events that have characterized both the history of these families and the Neapolitan nobility in general, and the history of Naples during the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the Kingdom of Naples, the government of the Bourbons and, subsequently, its replacement with that of the House of Savoy.

The novel is centered on the story of Petronilla, daughter of the Coppola counts who, after the death of her parents, is forced to grow up in a convent in an era in which girls belonging to aristocratic families were sent to boarding school to receive an education appropriate to their social class and educated for life in a society that would await them once they married. The alternative would have been to embrace the religious vocation and, therefore, remain forever in the convent, a vocation that, despite her humility, empathy, and desire to help people in need, Petronilla did not have. On the contrary, she dreamed of buying and wearing beautiful, fashionable clothes, getting married, and having a family. This wish will come true, but not with the person she would have initially wanted to have at her side, and not for lack of love, but because of intense pressure exerted by the other's family on her son. Her marriage will ultimately be successful, crowned by the birth of three children and the friendship with Donna Maria Zenobia of the Revertera family.

Once they were orphaned by both parents, Petronilla, who at the time was only seven years old, was sent to the convent, and together with her two brothers Antonio and Domenico, she passed under the protective wings of her paternal uncle, namely "His Excellency Domenico Coppola, archbishop." (Davide, 2024, p. 9) The latter, being highly appreciated by Pope Pius VI, had been appointed as Secret Chamberlain, received other prestigious assignments, and was awarded the Cross of the Order of Jerusalem. (p. 70) Uncle Domenico, archbishop of Mira, in the patriarchate of Constantinople, although he lived "in Palazzo Coppola in San Giovanni a Teduccio, in the Due Palazzi area," divided his time between his home and Rome, where he worked. (p. 15)

This aspect, that is, being born into an aristocratic family and undoubtedly enjoying privileges, will be mentioned on several occasions to underline how belonging to the nobility does not necessarily mean enjoying greater freedom but very often implies the opposite. As established, in fact, by the expression "noblesse oblige," being noble forces one to certain behaviors, to specific choices, and to often sacrifice one's desires and needs to maintain the social class to which one belongs and the honor of one's family about the place that has been due and recognized to it for centuries.

The novel, therefore, becomes a tool not only to narrate the life, habits, and customs of the nobility of the time – with particular reference to the families already mentioned above – which range from the way of dressing to the behavior to have at home, in the convent, on the street, in society and relationships with the opposite sex, but it delves into historical, cultural and social aspects that characterized above all the Kingdom of Naples and that of the Two Sicilies.

The events occurred when Europe was in turmoil due to Napoleon Bonaparte's expansionist policy and his designs on Italy itself. In 1799, the French crossed the borders, advancing towards Naples and forcing King Ferdinand IV of Bourbon to flee to Palermo. At the same time, Pope Pius VI was captured and taken to France, where he died in exile. Added to all this was the fact that the Neapolitan people were divided into two factions: on one side, there were the supporters of the Bourbons, and on the other, those of the French. This situation led to a civil war in which it was no longer clear who the friends were and who the enemies were to be fought.

 

The French conquerors had conducted a policy to dismantle ecclesiastical authority and privileges and remove that strong sense of religiosity that was the basis of Neapolitan culture and society. In this climate of violence and overturning of the established order, a real process of 'de-Christianization' took place, already begun by the French in their country of origin. People of faith understood that such operations, including the confiscation of properties from the Church to be used for civil or even military purposes, depending on the need, had as their objective more the removal of the religious sense and the consequent faith in God than the goods and properties belonging to the clergy.

The aristocracy had to adapt to the emerging reality in Europe, a kingdom overwhelmed by epochal events and changes. The use of many properties and agricultural lands was modified to undertake profitable commercial activities that, until then, had only been carried out by the bourgeoisie. The peasants' unrest also made itself felt: from a medieval society in which the feudal lord held the right not only to property but also to life and death over everything present in his territory, including human beings, the less wealthy or even poor classes were making their way, asking for and demanding recognition of their hard work in terms of tax breaks and consequent rights.

The world was changing drastically and just as quickly.

A noble life is a complex novel in which the author, thanks to careful and in-depth historical research, has included many details to give us a clear and detailed description of the life not only of Petronilla, the protagonist of her work, but also of that of the nobility and the events, often violent and dramatic, that transformed our society and determined the transition from the feudal world to that of the Kingdom of Naples and, subsequently, to that of the Two Sicilies. These events would, in turn, lay the foundations for the unification and creation of the Kingdom of Italy.

Love, friendship, a sense of duty, awareness – or lack thereof – of one's Self and one's place in the world, as well as an understanding of changing times and the consequent need to adapt to them, are also aspects that enrich this novel, crowned by some love stories, and not only, that blend into the culture and political, social and behavioral dynamics of the time in which such events occur.

Eleonora Davide deserves recognition, once again, for having immersed herself in the era described and the characters presented, making the whole thing very enjoyable to read, especially for lovers of historical novels.

I highly recommend reading it.

Word Shards – Anthology (M. C. Buoso) - Review by Maria Teresa De Donato

 

Word Shards – Anthology by Maria Cristina Buoso

 

Review by Maria Teresa De Donato

 

A remarkable expressive ability and a desire for experimentation characterize Maria Cristina Buoso’s literary production.

 

In Schegge di parole (= Word Shards), this second aspect certainly dominates and takes the reader back, at least as far as the form is concerned, to the literary avant-gardes of the early twentieth century. These avant-gardes aimed to break with the past and with tradition and, on the contrary, projected towards the future, modernity, speed, and technology. This was especially true of the futurist current this Anthology is inspired by.

 

From an aesthetic point of view, onomatopoeic expressions, ‘free words’ that do not respect the use of margins, uppercase, and lowercase letters used to emphasize concepts and feelings rather than respecting spelling rules; extremely short sentences, often expressed by a single verb are like bullets that hit a target, they get straight to the point, they do not get lost in explanations or narratives.

 

The concept is clear, and the message is almost brutal. There are no embellishments of any kind.

 

The precariousness of Life is denounced openly and without subterfuge or euphemisms:

 

                   *Let's Paint

with our Hands

So as NOT to Dirty our Hearts

with Too Much Joy.* (Buoso, 2021, p. 12)

 

The theme of femininity is also present in this work. However, it is not a superficial, ephemeral, or sappy femininity, but rather an authentic, visceral, rebellious, and contesting one that scrupulously observes the world around her and, in particular, her own "cracks":

 

                   I am a shadow

That CROSSES My Body

That Trudges Tired

[…]

Among Lost Petals    […]

Of Dust and Smoke. (p. 13)

 

Aspects such as fake feelings, indifference, and hostility are denounced by highlighting the spiritual poverty that dominates today's world full of "soulless bodies..." (p. 19)

Parentheses used in reverse and interspersed with suspension points seem to be the metaphor of how everything and the opposite of everything is possible: nothing is certain, nothing is defined, everything is yet to be discovered, understood, evolved ... while the observer can only wait for what must happen ... to reveal itself.

For the reader who goes beyond the aesthetic examination, Schegge di parole is an Anthology of profound concepts, truths, even burning ones, that are shouted and revealed without subterfuge or word games. Those who must understand ... and want to  ... they will, while the others ... shall continue to lead their meaningless life

 

                   “In the Coldness of the Winter

Of a Modern World.* (p. 44)

 

A further characteristic of this work is the alternating sensations, feelings, hopes, and desires, through which it distances itself from Futurism precisely because of these aspects.

Although from an aesthetic point of view, this Anthology takes us back to Filippo Tommaso Marinetti and the Manifesto of the avant-garde literary movement he developed, in substance we perceive from the verses of the author, Maria Cristina Buoso, a feeling of anger and frustration, but also a nostalgic streak for something that Humanity has lost and that seems difficult, if not impossible, to recover and, therefore, the consequent and veiled regret for a tradition and a past that are certainly more significant.

 

Wortfragmente – Anthologie (M. C. Buoso) - Rezension von Maria Teresa De Donato

 

Wortfragmente – Anthologie von Maria Cristina Buoso

 

Rezension von Maria Teresa De Donato

 

Eine bemerkenswerte Ausdrucksfähigkeit und Experimentierfreude kennzeichnen das literarische Schaffen von Maria Cristina Buoso.

In Schegge di parole (= Wortfragmente) dominiert dieser zweite Aspekt zweifellos und führt den Leser, zumindest was die Form betrifft, zurück zu den literarischen Avantgarden des frühen zwanzigsten Jahrhunderts, die darauf abzielten, mit der Vergangenheit und der Tradition zu brechen und im Gegenteil auf die Zukunft, Modernität, Geschwindigkeit und Technologie ausgerichtet waren.

Dies traf insbesondere auf die futuristische Bewegung zu, von der diese Kollektion inspiriert zu sein scheint. Aus ästhetischer Sicht lautmalerische Ausdrücke, „freie Wörter“, die die Verwendung von Rändern nicht respektieren; Groß- und Kleinbuchstaben werden verwendet, um Konzepte und Gefühle hervorzuheben, anstatt Rechtschreibregeln zu befolgen; Extrem kurze Sätze, oft durch ein einziges Verb ausgedrückt, sind wie Kugeln, die ihr Ziel treffen: Sie kommen direkt auf den Punkt und verlieren sich nicht in Erklärungen oder Erzählungen.

Das Konzept ist klar, die Botschaft fast brutal. Es gibt keinerlei Verzierungen. Die Unsicherheit des Lebens wird offen und ohne Ausreden oder Euphemismen angeprangert:

 

                   *Lass uns malen

mit den Händen

um das Herz mit zu viel Freude

nicht zu beschmutzen .* (Buoso, 2021, S. 12)

 

Auch das Thema Weiblichkeit ist in dieser Arbeit präsent. Es handelt sich jedoch nicht um eine oberflächliche, flüchtige oder zuckersüße Weiblichkeit, sondern vielmehr um eine authentische, aus dem Bauch kommende, rebellische und protestierende Weiblichkeit, die die Welt um sie herum und insbesondere ihre eigenen „Risse“ gewissenhaft beobachtet:

 

Ich bin ein Schatten

Das DURCH meinen Körper GEHT

Das müde beginnt

 

[…]

                   Unter verlorenen Blütenblättern […]

Aus Staub und Rauch. (Seite 13)

 

 

Aspekte wie falsche Gefühle, Gleichgültigkeit und Feindseligkeit werden angeprangert und die geistige Armut hervorgehoben, die in der heutigen Welt voller „Körper ohne Seelen …“ herrscht (S. 19).

Rückwärts verwendete Klammern, durchsetzt mit Aufhängungspunkten, scheinen eine Metapher dafür zu sein, dass alles und das Gegenteil von allem möglich ist: Nichts ist sicher, nichts ist definiert, alles muss noch entdeckt, verstanden und entwickelt werden … während der Betrachter müssen wir nicht einfach warten, bis das, was geschehen soll, enthüllt wird.

Für den Leser, der nicht bei der ästhetischen Betrachtung stehen bleibt, ist Schegge di parole eine Anthologie tiefgründiger Konzepte, Wahrheiten, auch brennender, die ohne Ausflüchte oder Wortspiele herausgeschrien und enthüllt werden. Wer verstehen muss ... und verstehen will, ... wird verstehen, während die anderen weiterhin ihr sinnloses Leben führen werden.

 

                   „In der Kälte des Winters

Von einer modernen Welt.* (S. 44)

 

Der Wechsel von Empfindungen, Gefühlen, Hoffnungen und Wünschen ist ein weiteres Charakteristikum dieser Arbeit, die sich gerade in diesen Aspekten vom Futurismus abgrenzt.

Wenn uns diese Anthologie aus ästhetischer Sicht zurück zu Filippo Tommaso Marinetti und dem Manifest der von ihm entwickelten avantgardistischen literarischen Bewegung führt, so spüren wir in den Versen der Autorin Maria Cristian Buoso im Wesentlichen ein Gefühl von Wut und Frustration, aber auch eine nostalgische Ader nach etwas, das die Menschheit verloren hat und das nur schwer, wenn nicht gar unmöglich wiederzuerlangen scheint, und daher das daraus resultierende und verschleierte Bedauern gegenüber einer Tradition und Vergangenheit, die sicherlich bedeutsamer sind.

  

 

 

 

Missing Puzzles – Review by Giuseppe Storti

 

Missing Puzzles – A Novel by Maria Teresa De Donato

Review by Giuseppe Storti

 

The Romans had the cult of ancestors The "mos maiorum", literally: the ancestors' customs, is the founding core of Roman civilization. The Romans jealously guarded the Lares and Penates in their homes. In every Roman domus, there were statuettes that symbolized the Lares who protected the family. While the Penates are guardian spirits of the family's food reserves. A cult that was passed down from father to son.

The book by Dr. De Donato, which reconstructs the life of her ancestors in its dense plot backward, does nothing but revive a tradition and a culture that Western civilization has forged in its DNA. The story and reconstruction of one's family's past must be done exclusively by projecting one's present into the past before time can inexorably erase its traces. We are nothing if we do not remember what we have been.

Reconstructing the past through genealogical research of one's ancestors strengthens one's identity, allowing one to face the future with more certainty. Indeed, only those with a solid past can face future challenges with more strength and optimism. The talented writer goes back in time, as in an imaginary machine, through accurate genealogical research, combined with a meticulous analysis of the personality and behavior of those who preceded her. She even studies the influences that have modified the character and behavior of her ancestors in the passage of various historical eras. It starts from the barbarian invasions, passes through the Middle Ages, and reaches the twentieth century. A truly fascinating journey.

The description of the most important historical events that have characterized the history of the European continent is also very accurate. The pages on the origins of her father and mother are beautiful and very emotional, with considerations of the effects that the unfortunate event of the Second World War had on her nuclear family. Finally, the immense gratitude of a daughter for the love received and the conspicuous cultural heritage inherited from her family, with the load of traditions to respect and love.

It is an autobiographical novel based on the narrative thread of the so-called memoirs that are having great success in the contemporary publishing scene. A book to read precisely because it is a fitting example of the value of memory, which must be cultivated and loved and, above all, must be witnessed in the only possible way so as not to vanish: that is, with writing. The missing puzzle the author manages to find at the end of her careful research is precisely in that inestimable cultural heritage inherited from her large family.

I'd love to tell you – Novel - Review by Maria Teresa De Donato

 

I'd love to tell you – A Novel by Maria Cristina Buoso

 

Review by Maria Teresa De Donato

 

 

"I’d love to tell you so many things, but for too long I have held the words inside me... You didn't know how to tell me 'I love you'" (Buoso, 2024, p. 7)

This publication, by its author, Maria Cristina Buoso, highlights the problematic relationship between father and daughter and their respective inability to appropriately communicate their thoughts, feelings, and emotions.

In this novel, which takes on the character of a personal diary, its protagonist, Diva, imagines writing a long letter to her father, opening her heart and revealing everything she would have liked to tell him, and that, for one reason or another, she never did.

The heartfelt and painful need to have his approval, to know that he was proud of his daughter, to receive from her father those demonstrations of love and affection that she would have so much desired and needed, especially after her mother's death, which occurred when she was just nine years old, represent an excessive burden for Diva. At times, they seem to take her joy in life and even her breath away.

The absence of her father, even in the most important and tragic moments of her life, creates suffering and multiplies doubts and misunderstandings about the possible reasons that may have pushed him to assume such an attitude.

"You never told me 'bravo,' you never had faith in my abilities, you always criticized and belittled me." (p. 17)

The disappointment is great in remembering how expectations have always been betrayed, how dreams and hopes about her family have never come true: "... the pain of that time has not yet completely eased and keeps consuming me together with the wounds that your indifference has inflicted upon me." (p. 30)

Despite the inner suffering, frustration, and sadness arising from the awareness of how things went and how, on the contrary, they could have gone if there had been the ability on her father’s side to understand his daughter's needs and show her the affection and attention she so much desired, the memories that surface in Diva's mind and the consequent venting that she gives by writing this sort of diary, a letter to her father, lead her to an introspective analysis.

This latter strengthens in her the need to meet her father, to confront him, to ask for explanations of his behavior, to understand his reasons, and also to tell him about her life, the one she has led since she left her home and the successes, especially the professional ones, she had.

Thus, between one memory and another, despite the outburst and the insistent accusations, paradoxically, the resentment fades away while the need to meet grows, to make peace, to tell each other how much they love each other and how proud they have always been of one another. The need to break down the wall of silence that has generated useless and inexplicable tensions and misunderstandings becomes urgent, forcing Diva to hit the road in search of her father.

In the meantime, Life has gone on its way and will reserve a great and unexpected surprise for her.

The novel ends with a poem that the Author dedicated to her father after his death and whose verses are made up of the chapter titles. 

In a futurist style that we have already encountered in her collection of verses Schegge di parole, the metrics, which in fact do not exist, are replaced by apparently disconnected words thrown there on the sheet. Reading them, however, a rather clear picture appears of a man who, having worked hard all his life, has kept secrets and sufferings inside himself without being able to show his loved ones, and especially his daughter, the great love he always had for them and that, despite appearances, has motivated all his choices and decisions.

I'd love to tell you is a novel written from the heart that will lead the reader to a deep reflection on the importance of never judging people by their appearances by attributing wrong motives to certain of their behaviors, but rather to grant the benefit of the doubt as their past could hide unspeakable secrets and sufferings that the person has not been able to free himself from nor, much less, has had the strength and courage to reveal... much less to his children.

Missing Puzzles – Review by Anna Valente

 

Missing Puzzles – A Novel by Maria Teresa De Donato

Review by Anna Valente

 

Missing Puzzles, a book by Maria Teresa De Donato. A genealogical research of a family with many lustres, both in the paternal and maternal surname. Mariateresa takes us on this journey that reaches Ireland and Spain, but not only. Noble ties with the emperor Frederick II. However, what struck me the most was not the search for ancestors who could be the missing puzzle but rather the search for memories. Of happy moments and not with the family. The moments with the grandmother who accompanied her growing up, with the smell of good food. The bond with a land that had moved with her mother but was never denied. The bond with that mother who had become the true cornerstone of that family. That father who carried within himself the weight of an economic well-being that he no longer had.

Here is the missing link that involved me the most: those memories that do not belong to nobility but to a noble heart that, through the search for its ancestors, tells us about its true wealth: the family. Yes, the family that, in dark or bright moments, left her not gold but a baggage full of emotions.

Congratulations, Mariateresa. Thank you for making me travel with you, during your time and life.

The Time of Glutinous Rice (Fiori Picco) - Review by Maria Teresa De Donato

 

The Time of Glutinous Rice

by Fiori Picco

 

Review by Maria Teresa De Donato

 

 

With her new novel entitled Il tempo del riso glutinoso (= The Time of Glutinous Rice)  (Picco, 2024, Fiori D'Asia Editrice), Fiori Picco, Author, Literary Translator, Editor, and Sinologist, conquers the hearts of all of us by transporting us once again to her beloved Yunnan and, more precisely, to the village of Shanjiao, among the Kam community that has lived in this remote area on the border between the provinces of Hunan and Guizhou for millennia.

As in her novels – Giada Rossa – Una vita per la libertà (= Red Jade – A Life for Freedom), Yao, and Il Circolo delle Donne Farfalla – Mugao e Bhaktu (= The Butterfly Women's Circle – Mugao and Bhaktu), two aspects also characterize this publication:

 

• The figure of the woman and her suffering and

• The theme of ethnic groups

 

However, if the previous novels constitute real reportages, The Time of Glutinous Rice takes on more the tones of an introspective journey. The Ego and the Self scrutinize each other and compare themselves. The Mind, through Reason, tries to make sense of what the Heart initially does not accept. The Heart, in turn, is divided on what to do and, if on the one hand, it rebels against what it feels as an imposition, on the other, it wants to make its loved ones happy, not disappoint them, and, above all, not undermine the serenity and balance of the family.

The result is an internal revolt characterized by a whirlwind of contrasting thoughts, emotions, and sensations in constant conflict.

Who are we? Where are we going, and where do we wish to go? Are we the architects of our destiny, or should others decide our future and, perhaps, our happiness? Giving up on our ambitions, on the realization of our dreams, and indulging in the wishes of our family so as not to disappoint them because "in Kam society, responsibilities come first" (Picco, 2024, p. 11) seems to be a sword of Damocles hanging over one's head and from which it will be very difficult if not impossible to free oneself.

The stakes are very high. So what to do next? Rebel by continuing to cultivate one's talents and pursue one's dreams, such as that of becoming a "trilingual architect designer and one day landing abroad, preferably in Italy" (p. 15) after graduating with full marks from the Faculty of Garden and Landscape Design of the Yunnan Normal University, in Kunming, a choice also inspired by the Italian professor of European culture and Garden Design, or accept and make one's own the teaching of mom Beili according to which "It is not a given that life always goes the way we want. There are certain things we can make ourselves like with time."? (p. 15). And so, while our Heart is broken and, torn apart wonders what to do next, Life itself, without our knowledge, paves the way, and prepares the path that will lead us to Understanding, to full Awareness of our ethnic identity, to acceptance and, finally, to cover what will prove to be our true "calling."

Becoming the mayor of Shanjiao should make one proud. Being "the most authoritative and respected woman in the place" in "a matriarchal society called 'the Kingdom of Daughters'" where women hold power is the dream of all girls of the Kam ethnic group (p.11), even if this privilege is reserved only for women with degrees. However, Life will see in Niangmei, nicknamed "Myrtle" by the Italian teacher, a cultured and intelligent girl from Kunming, the most suitable person to lead the village of Shanjiao, to become one of the "messengers of the great ancestors" (p. 269) and of the "new heirs of the intangible cultural heritage of the Kam ethnic group" (pp. 254, 255) appointed as such by the district government itself.

Despite her young age and inexperience, Myrtle will demonstrate that she has the ability, also thanks to the advice of her parents, her aunt Wu, the former mayor of Shanjiao, the one who will become her friend Yilan, and other characters as fascinating as they are mysterious, including Grandma Pan and Rong Rong, to be up to the task. Carrying out her role as mayor excellently, she will succeed, with difficulty, in developing her village through a series of initiatives aimed at reclaiming the environment and increasing craftsmanship, trade, and tourism, thanks also to the targeted use of the internet.

In doing so, she will demonstrate, without a shadow of a doubt, that she is the worthy earthly representative and heir of the Great Grandma Sama, Goddess of the place.

The glutinous rice, mentioned several times in the text and used in various recipes traditionally prepared and consumed by the Kam community, is the metaphor of an invisible hourglass that, at regular intervals, expires the slow and incessant passage of time, marking its rhythm.

Cultural, culinary, and religious traditions, deeply rooted millenary beliefs, detailed descriptions of customs and habits, dishes, clothing, ceremonial rituals, family secrets, and more, old disagreements existing between members of the community for the most varied reasons are masterfully described by the skilled pen of Fiori Picco.

The result is a highly suggestive picture that drags the reader into an atmosphere and a time that to us, Westerners, seems light-years away and that, for this very reason, intrigues and fascinates, making us vibrate in a real and, at the same time, mystical dimension.  Colors, flavors, sounds, voices, songs, as well as buildings and statues that seem to observe passers-by, as well as readers, blend into a Whole as varied as it is harmonious that transports us to an 'other' World in which myths and legends, as well as fantasy and reality, continue to dance incessantly.

The Time of Glutinous Rice is a book rich in details that will fascinate the readers, allowing them to continue their spiritual journey in Yunnan and to familiarize themselves this time with the Kam ethnic group and its matriarchal society.

I recommend reading it to everyone, especially lovers of foreign cultures.

Joys and Woes of Marriage in India - Review by Maria Teresa De Donato

 

Joys and Woes of Marriage in India

by Hemalatha Gnanasekar

 

Review by Maria Teresa De Donato

 

We have already encountered Hemalatha Gnanasekar's work through her publications Life Lessons from India—A Woman's Memoir and The Guilt Is Alive, which both allowed us to appreciate her nurturing, empathic, and caring nature and feel her deep and boundless Love for her family.

 

In Joys and Woes of Marriage in India, Hemalatha explores the cultural traditions and behaviors of young Indian married couples, highlighting the many issues they might face, especially during the first months of marriage.

 

The greatest challenge is moving into their in-laws' family, adjusting to their different ways of Life, and trying to get along with everybody. At times, however tricky and unpredictable these situations might be, they are the hardest and yet most educational life lessons one might get. They help young and married women refine their personalities, get out of their shells, and learn how to negotiate, compromise, and adapt.

Should problems arise between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law, fiancés or even husbands will hardly side with their girlfriends or wives. Respect for parents and a highly regarded sense of duty are expected and demanded in the Indian cultural and family establishment.

 

The success of the new couple's married life will strongly depend on personality, adaptability, and ability to cope with unfamiliar and uncomfortable situations and requests expected by her in-laws.

 

The "marriage arrangement" organized and taken care of by a family member – usually a man, be it the father, an uncle, or the eldest son – is still rooted in Indian culture. Once consulted, the temple priest will recommend "the auspicious time for the marriage" after carefully examining the horoscopes of the spouses-to-be.

 

The result of these "alliances" between families can be very successful if the bride and the groom like each other, fall in love, and get along, or a total disaster if they do not. In the latter case, they will feel trapped in a marriage with no way out.

 

Regardless of Life's ups and downs and our ability or lack of ability to negotiate and adapt to the new, all issues—or most of them—can be quickly resolved when true Love, empathy, and patience lead our lives.

 

Hence, despite some evident differences among cultures, Hemalatha's message to the readers seems to be, "Sometimes all young ladies—and not just them—need to do to solve differences, misunderstandings, and difficult situations is to kindly talk to their husbands with an open heart while expressing their true feelings and worries about challenging situations they are being confronted with. Respect, kindness, and setting a good example can be instrumental to gaining their trust and unconditional Love and that of their in-laws.

 

Once again, through her gentle, kind approach and appealing writing style, the Author highlights the importance of love in our lives and the fact that true love can perform miracles if we only give it a chance. Thus, she reminds us that Love can happen at all ages and in the most sudden and unpredictable settings and ways.

 

Joys and Woes of Marriage in India is a beautiful publication I recommend to people of all ages, especially those interested in Indian culture and traditions.

 

One More Ride on the Merry-Go-Round (Tiziano Terzani, 2004, 2014) - Maria Teresa De Donato’s Opinion

One More Ride on the Merry-Go-Round

(Tiziano Terzani, 2004, 2014)

 

Maria Teresa De Donato’s Opinion

One More Ride on the Merry-Go-Round: that's how Tiziano Terzani conceived his life, a life full of adventures, misadventures, meetings, movements, and trips from one continent to another, all always lived with intellectual curiosity and optimism.

From the Asian gurus to the Himalayan hermit, from the reading of his future by a visionary to the many vicissitudes experienced as an individual or together with his family: all this until the encounter with the disease, an illness that he tries to cure by first resorting to therapies traditional Western medicines - sometimes invasive and quite aggressive and in which he absolutely does not believe - and, subsequently, holistic ones... up to the acceptance of his own death as an integral and absolutely natural part of his life, something to embrace, to which According to him, one should not shy away from it nor should one fear it.

One More Ride on the Merry-Go-Round is an extremely exciting read, rich in themes, culture, profound humanity, and food for thought. It will fascinate the reader, making him travel not only around the world but even more so into the depths of his soul. It encourages him to confront his fears and beliefs and to accept, without judging, everything that life presents to him.

This book can also be ordered on Amazon. 

 

This article was also published at the following link: Un altro giro di giostra

One Last Journey Again - Review by Maria Teresa De Donato

 One Last Journey Again

by Flavio Uccello

Review by Maria Teresa De Donato

 

After reading and reviewing his first novel, The Roar of the Phoenix (Il Rombo della Fenice – Uccello, 2022 – Amazon), having realized Flavio Uccello's technical knowledge as well as his enthusiasm and passion for the world of motorbikes and racing, I had prepared myself psychologically and mentally in 'pole position,' enjoying yet another great adventure while reading One Last Journey (Un ultimo viaggio ancora) and, more precisely this time, a sporting event that has gone down in history: the 1985 Paris-Dakar.

The protagonist of the novel, or rather, of its first part, is Antonio Servillo, known as Tony, a young man soon appointed Lieutenant Commander of the Italian Navy. Married to his beautiful Giovanna, with blue eyes and blond hair, with whom he will later have little Stefania, and despite already having the path paved for a brilliant career since he was a boy, Tony has had a secret dream: to participate in the Paris—Dakar.

Thanks to the help of one of his superiors who respects him and is sincerely fond of him as if he were a father, Admiral Cornelli, Tony obtains not only the approval of the Navy itself to participate in the sporting event of his life but also to find sponsors. With his brand new Yamaha XT600Z, known as Tènèrè, this young Corvette Captain is preparing to leave "for the seventh edition of the toughest race in history" (p. 8) with the spirit and enthusiasm of someone who thinks that this will be the most incredible adventure of his life.

After the missions in Lebanon, Tony took a leave of absence immediately after marrying his beloved Giovanna and spending "sleepless nights fantasizing about the deserts of Africa, on the motorbike he [would] ride, on the seas of cheering crowds around [him] at the finish line..." (p. 9)

The general test was completed and the numerous modifications made to the Yamaha by the mechanics to adapt it to the various types of terrain it would have to face, "from French mud to African sand" (p. 12), and with the logo on the bike "made up of a ship that sails through the stormy sea, ... symbol shown in several places on the suit... and on the motorbike's tank" (p. 11) Tony, from the Cornelli Racing team, finally sets off on his adventure. For the occasion, he is surrounded by "racing cars, trucks, off-road vehicles, motorcycles, sidecars and much more... divided between private teams, like his, and the official teams, equipped with cutting-edge vehicles and incredibly experienced drivers ." (p. 13)

Despite having participated in military operations that had taken him "to the coasts and inland of Lebanon... aimed at defending Palestinian refugees and the Lebanese population from the armed clashes of the civil war" and having witnessed with his own eyes the meaning of the words' hunger' and 'despair' (p. 15) Tony now wants to get to know Africa "and live it far from the conflicts and injustices of war. Putting oneself at stake against the elements and finding the ultimate meaning of existence..." (p. 15)

This experience transforms him profoundly, also changing the view he had had up to that moment of the children - which, among other things, he wants to have with his Giovanna - who from "annoying and noisy" become, thanks to the encounter with the African ones, "with sweet smiles and cheerful voices." (p. 16)

The journey presents countless challenges, but one of the fundamental lessons you will learn is that in times of need, you must be ready to help the other without reservation - just as he will do with John - and that the exact help you will give when you need it, will be offered to you by someone, the good Samaritan or angel on duty, who will appear on your path, as in his case will be the meetings with the brothers Francesco and Lara and, subsequently, with the Spanish cowboy Miguelito who will host him at his ranch.

Along the way, Tony comes across all sorts of scenic and artistic beauty, including the botanical garden of El Hamma in Algeria, as well as "a riot of flowers, palms, and terraces... verdant hills, full of crops" ( p. 16) but also to the "black stones burned by the sun" and the "infinite and immaterial dunes of the Saharan desert." (p. 17)

If Tony thought that the accidents and the challenges faced in the desert between optical illusions caused by the play of light and shadow created by the dunes, the wheelies and the leaps into the void with the motorbike, when depressions are mistaken for slopes, and the encounters not always peaceful with the Tuareg of the desert were among the worst things that could happen to him in life, the latter, for its part, will prove him wrong.

So, while he will be wholly catapulted with great skill by the Author into the challenges linked to this historic sporting event, namely the Paris-Dakar of 1985, to the technical difficulties only that the young man will encounter in his extraordinary adventure, emerging from this sort of hypnotic state, the reader will suddenly realize that the protagonist has changed and is no longer necessarily Tony, who continues to play a primary role in the narrative, but Life itself. All the adventures, the misadventures, the 'curves,' the 'treacherous paths,' the swerves to the right, to the left, the surges, and the relapses are nothing more than symbols, that is, the very metaphors of Life, the real one, with all the successes, failures, trials and the not always pleasant 'surprises' that it presents on your path, with its total and undisputed unpredictability.

The novel becomes the novel of choices, those we make with joy and in harmony with our desires, passions, and 'calling' and those we feel forced to make because certain situations—perhaps precisely family ones—impose them on us. Will what we make be the right choice, or will it turn out to be the wrong one? Is our Destiny already sealed in one direction or another? We will never know, or perhaps we will only find out at the end of our existence.

The book, written in a language as simple as it is captivating, will enthrall the reader, keeping him riveted and in suspense from the first to the last page. In this second publication, we also notice Flavio's growth and increased maturity as a Writer. Although, as in the case of his previous publication, the interest and passion for sport, and in particular for motorbikes and racing, remain common denominators, One Last Journey Again also and above all becomes the novel of Ethics and Morality, human even before professional; of Conscience that looks at itself in the mirror, repents and feels the need to redeem itself, to do justice despite the evil that has been done and the punishments that have been unjustly inflicted because of us. The novel of the Good is inherent in Man and, although sometimes suffocated for the most diverse reasons, still resurfaces in many at the most unexpected moment when everything seems lost, and the possibility of repentance is remote.

It is precisely at that moment when we realize the trick that Life has played on us and the optical illusion that we have experienced that the sense of discouragement and sadness that awareness imposes on us becomes an unbearable boulder to bear. It is a boulder that we absolutely need to free ourselves from and remove by sharing it - within the limits and in the ways possible to us - with a sudden and equally unexpected interlocutor who could, why not, even be an innocent child.

Therefore, there is always time to repent, reverse course and do good, help someone, help improve their Life, ask for forgiveness, and, in a certain sense, redeem ourselves from the evil we have inflicted.

One Last Journey Again is, therefore, a novel written from the heart by a young author who, in addition to his undisputed narrative skills, shows that he has excellent moral ethics and a strong interest in sports, psychological, and social aspects.  Flavio highlights the latter in his stories through the creation of particular characters whose conduct stresses the importance of correctness in relationships, of human solidarity, the unpredictable circumstances in which one can find oneself when one encounters situations much tougher than expected, that was not searching for but who manifested themselves overwhelming us even though up until that moment we had not only avoided but even fought them.

One Last Journey Again is a beautiful publication that will fascinate the reader, leading him to inner analysis and deep reflection on essential and even burning issues.