Ina Rilke Libri

Come la lettura, grazie alla segreta malia di una misteriosa, preziosissima valigia di libri occidentali proibiti, riesca a sottrarre due ragazzi, colpevoli soltanto di essere figli di "sporchi borghesi", a svariate torture e permetta anche a uno di loro di conquistare la "Piccola Sarta cinese". "Balzac e la Piccola Sarta cinese... è una tragedia raccontata con un soffio. Un soffio che anima il romanzo, come potrebbe tenere sospesa una piuma. È il trionfo della leggerezza, come l'intendeva Calvino. Non ricordo, come lettore, un libro recente in cui la sottrazione di peso alla struttura del racconto e del linguaggio sia stata realizzata con tanta spontaneità". BERNARDO VALLI

The owner of a bookshop is a red-haired giant trapped in his own solitude. One rainy afternoon, Étienne Vollard accidentally injures a little girl, Éva, in a car accident. In the hospital, he meets Éva's mother, Thérèse, a struggling single parent who dreams of escaping her responsibilities. Both are engulfed in guilt: Thérèse for being late to pick up her daughter and Vollard for not stopping in time, even though he knows Éva seemed to throw herself in front of the car. Vollard visits Éva regularly while she is in a coma, reading to her, while Thérèse's visits become infrequent. When Éva wakes up, she is mute and severely weakened. After Éva is sent to a rehabilitation center, Thérèse takes a job far away and asks Vollard to visit her daughter. Vollard begins to enjoy their walks in the mountains, sharing stories and poems in an attempt to reach Éva, whom he affectionately nicknames "La Petite Chartreuse." Despite his efforts, she remains unresponsive and continues to decline. Concerned for her well-being, Vollard resolves to find Thérèse and bring her back to her daughter before it’s too late.

Years later, as the twentieth century dawns, the elderly Kwasi, now owner of a coffee plantation in Java, sits down to write his autobiography. Based on a true story, The Two Hearts of Kwasi Boachi is both a brilliant piece of storytelling and a moving portrayal of the search for identity and belonging. schovat popis