Voci Dalle Pianure Nell'Emilia Di Daniele Benati

Author: Spunta, Marina

Source: Romance Studies, Volume 21, Number 3, October 2003 , pp. 215-230(16)

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Abstract:

In this article I investigate Daniele Benati's rendering of the themes of death and of the plains in his collection of stories Silenzio in Emilia (1997). By setting his stories in the 'nonplaces' of the Po Valley (such as motorways and airports) Benati creates an effect of spatio-temporal displacement, which is reinforced by the linguistic displacement of constructing his narratives on marked orality and silence. By drawing on Anglo-Irish literature (particularly Flann O'Brien), and on Italian texts (canonical such as Dante and anti-canonical such as Manganelli), as well as on a strong regional literary tradition (e.g. Silvio D'Arzo and Tondelli), Benati gives voice to his 'anti-poetics' of writing natural, simple narratives, which echo oral storytelling, implicitely lamenting the loss of a sense of community. By exploring the theme of death, and its centrality in postmodern thought, Benati contributes originally to continuing the Emilian tradition of oralità bassa and to its recent renewal in the group of writers gravitating around Celati known as 'Celati & co.'.

Document Type: Research Article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1179/026399003786543096

Publication date: 2003-10-01

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