La Grande Zelda by Pier Luigi Razzano

 Spectacular, unique, absorbing. This one is La Grande Zelda

by Pier Luigi Razzano. This book on Zelda Sayre, later wife of Francis Scott Fitzgerald is incredible. You'll love it so badly as I did and I do. Oh, the Fitzgeralds... This couple created the Jazz Age: both trendy, they defined a new society, more free, plenty of excesses, where parties, feasts, alcohol, the main reason of living. 

Freedom, escapism passing through champagne and tons of gin, drunk everywhere, in company, alone; and then discussions, tensions and a lot of love. This couple was under many ways self-destructive, but no one could live without the idea and presence of the other one. Zelda tried, experimenting women and then men, but she always returned home.

A beautiful Belle born in the profound South of the USA, Zelda has been since little an eccentric girl: she wanted to be the main attraction of events, the princess of every feast, the animator of a party, and she wanted to dance, because dancing means setting us free from our demons and it is catartic.

Written hearing the voice of Zelda, in a strong, and powerful consciousness stream, this book will make the difference. The years spent to the hospitals, the birth of Scottie, the abortion, the trips to Italy considered by the couple a very poor and unattractive place, but also Rome and Ben Hur, Capri and the fascism, the lesbian ladies, the discovery of painting.

Riviera with the Murphys and the beautiful pilot with which Zelda wanted to escape away. Away from Scott.

Montgomery, her family, her friends but also parties and her jealousy, her betrayal with a fisher, and then with a friend of Scott in a car.

New York, Paris, Hemingway and again the jealousy of Zelda; she didn't like Hemingway, she didn't like that Francis spent a lot of time with him.

We see closely the creative process in Francis Scott's mind, but also the involvement of Zelda, her suggestions.

Scottie, their daughter, grown up in a place populated by adults sometimes too erratic and violent with themselves and their partner.

An intimate portrait of a life lived with all the possible excesses you can think at, but after all...Isn't it this one the existence of every creative?

Francis Scott loved of an immense love Zelda. I want to close with this quote: "Zelda....voglio continuare a immaginarti e aprire gli occhi per ritrovarti lì mentre sposti il mondo per far iniziare l'amore."

The author in the final page thank also Zelda, Scott and Scottie, writing that they are his second family. Well, it is true. This book has been written with extreme feeling, and I love it so badly! 

I hope that it will be translated as soon as possible in english and french! It deserves it!

Highly recommended.

I thank Marsilio for the physical copy of the book.

Anna Maria Polidori 

Finché il Caffé è Caldo by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Forty reprints: two years from the first print, and till on the top of the italian books list.

A wonderful, suggestive best-seller.

The best choice for these difficult times, this little, I would add, shy book, tender, soft, but extremely friendly, with a relaxing cover, where cherries are blooming and a comfy table reassure that situations will be resolved once and for all, written by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, Finché il Caffé è Caldo

, is a promise of a good, fantastic reading.

There is in Tokyo, a little café, immersed in the anonymity, where there are several, well defined characters, serving good, delicious food and an extraordinary coffee to their beloved and affectionated customers. It's not important if you visit the café in winter or in a warm summer day, because you will discover that the atmosphere is always fresh, and the place reassuring.

The owner of the café, Nagare, is married with Kei, a frail pregnant girl: another worker is Kazu. 

The specialty of this little café is that people can surf in the past or in the future thanks to a special coffeepot, used for serving in a cup common coffee. People in this special café can ask for time-travels through the past or the future, if they request it.

When and why people do search for time-travels in this special café? They try to see if they can discover more of the behavior of a person: another time they want to see their beloved ones when still in healthy conditions, or just, to meet someone who, for a reason or another, they, simply, won't never meet in their existence, or they know that they won't meet anymore at long in this life.

The rules of the café are simples: there is just a little table and chair for this magical ritual where is sat a phantom that it is better to leave alone; you must sit, waiting that the coffee would be served. You must choose a precise moment of your existence that you want to re-live again; the person that you search must be a client of the café, and last rule, the most important one for not to be transformed in a ghost, you must drink the coffe till when warm.

These four stories are moving. There is a lady who waits for answers regarding the health of his husband and a letter...

There is a mother who wants to see the daughter. An experience that she won't never live in her existence...

There is a girl who is left by her beloved boyfriend. Maybe she has been too rude with him: she wants to try to understand much better what happened when a week before they had that last, tragic discussion...

Maybe with the one of the mother and the daughter, the story more moving is the one of the two sisters. 

These stories are precious because they pass through knowledge, true, but also, in several cases, clarifications. Sometimes when we speak with other people we don't tell what we want to tell, or just we don't understand well what the other want to tell us. It's a lesson: let's keep open our hearts to the magic of life, to the understanding, to an interpretation of the existence that shouldn't never be an unilateral path, but a path shared with others with clarity. In this way existences will be brilliants, sparkling, singing great harmonic melodies to the universe.

Highly recommended. 

Grazie Grzanti for the physical copy of the book.

Anna Maria Polidori 

 

Why The Titanic Was Doomed A Disaster Of Circumstance by Bryan Jackson

 Why The Titanic Was Doomed A Disaster Of Circumstance by Bryan Jackson

is one of the best books ever written on the disappearing of this big ship: quick, concise, but at the same time incredibly, incredibly informative.

So, if you love the romantic and tragic story of the birth and death of this Titan of the Sea, updated,  this book is, for sure, for you.

That the Titanic was born for sinking in that first inaugural trip was more than a sign of the destiny: problems started during the building of the ship, because some parts didn't have great quality, after all: let's add that sad coincidences played a fundamental role and did not permit to people to see the reality of the facts: presence of icebergs. Everyone in that inaugural trip was galvanized by the beauty of the ship, the atmosphere of feast, excitement, and dreams that every passenger had put in that trip. People of the second and third class dreamed a best existence once arrived in the USA. People of the first class were stunningly happy of sharing their days with original, other creative people in such an exclusive place like the Titanic was. 

It was called the Unsinkable, but the Titanic disappeared during his first trip in the cold Atlantic the night of 14 april 1914: A Night to Remember, would have written later Walter Lord.

A catastroph. Just a little bunch of people saved their existence. 

The Titanic left Southampton, and after several other european ports where she embarked other people, left for NYC.

Why many people died?

 

A sad choice, for aesthetic reasons, involved a great limitation in the numbers of life boats  "inserted" in the Titanic: the Titanic had to be a beautiful place for the rich passengers of this giant and nothing had to ruin the aesthetic of that beautiful ship. Pity that the large amount of missing life boats meant the end for more than 1550 passengers. 

The wireless room

There was a wireless room where it was installed one of the most modern intrument morse created by Guglielmo Marconi. The operator, Jack Phillips received many messages during that first and final days of navigation where it was clear that every ship spotted several importatnt icebergs. For a lot of reasons these alerts were not taken in the sufficient alarmistic consideration, and mr.Smith, the captain, this one would have been his final trip, and it was but in a different way, continued to keep the Titanic at its highest velocity.   

Phillips knew the exact location of the iceberg that later would have destroyed the ship: he had  also forwarded the message to other ships. The day before the sinking of the Titanic, the wireless set malfunction and stopped operating. Passengers once fixed the radio wireless inundated the room with radio messages to their families, colleagues, friends. 

There was a ship very close to the Titanic, the 447-foot Californian: the captain the evening of the 14 april had decided to stop the ship for the night because they had spotted several icebergs and navigation appeared unsecure enough. 

Captain Lord had noticed some lights, apparently the ones of another ship, but who knows: maybe it was a star.

Captain Lord asked to Cyril Evans in their wireless room later if there was for case any ship close to them: Cyril knew very well that the Titanic was close to them. Lord asked to Cyril to send a message alerting the Titanic of the massive presence of icebergs.

The close distance generated signals very strong so Jack Phillips told to Cyril rudely: "Shut up, shut up! I am busy; I am working Cape Race!" Cyril won't alert anymore the Titanic. 

The last contact generated by the two ships ar circa 11:33. At 11:40 Titanic hit the iceberg. The Titanic soon would have sent messages of help to all the available ships. Pity that Cyril Evans was sleeping.

The Californian later saw a flash on the horizon. It was 12:45. Stone called captain Lord: both were more than sure that it wasn't anything alarming. The radio operator continued to sleep peacefully after having spent a long day of work. 

At 4 o'clock the discovery: the Titanic had sunk and the Carpathia was arriving: it was necessary to rescue and help the 705 survivors. 

A Calm Night

A calm night, moonless, the one of the 14 april 1912. Vision was difficult. The key for the binoculars was left behind, so Frederick Fleet and Reginald Lee could just use their eyes for trying to see if there was to the horizon any danger of some sort. When they spotted the iceberg, they were at just 37 seconds from the impact. Also the measures taken to avoid the impact became much more mortals than if the ship would have had a frontal confrontation with the giant of the oceans. 

January 1912 what a Moon!

The moon 4 january 1912 was the closest it had been to Earth in over a thousand years. This aspect, with other astronomical connections, put in movements a lot of icebergs; it is estimated that the iceberg who destroyed the Titanic probably travelled for just 4 months. Areas interested were Greenland, Labrador and Newfoundland.  Once damaged, appeared clear that the Titanic had just few hours of life, optimistically. Seawater was flooding in at a rate of about 7 tons per second!!! – fifteen times faster than Titanic’s pumps could dump it back overboard, writes the author.

Panic became incredible when Andrews and other people understood that the two third of passenger would have lost the existence, because there weren't sufficient life-boats.

Later also thanks to the money that the son of Astor promised at the Mackay-Bennet crew, 100.000 dollars, for trying to find the body of his father, 190 bodies, including the one of an infant had been rescued. 

Part of the money Astor donated  (the body of his father was found), covered the cost of the child's funeral. He was called "Our Babe." In 2007 the discovery of the name of the infant: Leslie Goodwin.

The latest one who died was Millvina Dean. Titanic reclaimed also this soul: she died 

exactly ninety-eight years to the day that Titanic had been launched from the Harland & Wolff yard in Belfast. When I read this, (this one was a kid, not a young girl when there was the tragedy) I imagined Rose Dawson, acclaimed by everyone in the Titanic with Jack waiting for her, offering his hand, on the luxurious stairs of the first class. Reunited, forever, with her.

The book offers much more: many witnesses, and technical aspects that decided dramatically for the quick death of the Titanic and most of his passengers, most of them resting at 4.000 meters of profoundity.

Highly recommended book. 

I thank Pen & Sword for the copy of the book.

Anna Maria Polidori

 

Necropolis by Vladislav Khodasevic

 Necropolis by Vladislav Khodasevic

is a book published by Columbia University Press. 

The beloved russian poet and translator, born in a polish catholic noble family located in Moscow, has decided to write this book that took circa a decade of his existence, from 1920  to the beginning of the '30s for describing some contemporaries writers he knew very well, and that were part of his same literary current: the Symbolism.

All facts reported, as also remarks the author have been verified and known by him and nothing, if not just few things have been reported by second or third hand. 

What I found peculiar is that in every chapter and so portrait of writer or poet taken in consideration, there is substantially the point of view and vision of Vladislav on these writers plenty of anecdots, gossip, as well and whatever you can imagine. Nothing is left behind.

They are not just short biographies seen with the eyes of the writer: this work wants also to explain much better the most profound  meanings of Symbolism. That's also why it is extremely important for historians and scholars.

I have been attracted by this book because I want personally to discover more russian authors and thanks to Khodasevich it has been possible.

Gorky, Petrovskaya, Bely and more, passions, intrigues, gossip, suicides, love-stories ended tragically, this book is this and much more.  Written with extreme simplicity it is for a large public.  

Highly recommended.

I thank Columbia University Press for the physical copy of the book.

Anna Maria Polidori 

Sourire Une Anthropologie de l'Enigmatique by David Le Breton

 It was 4 o'clock. I could not sleep so I went downstairs and I switched on my smartphone. Surfing several pages, including the one of L'Editions Métailié, I have  been attracted by a book: Sourire Une Anthropologie de l'Enigmatique

by David Le Breton. I sent them an e-mail immediately, because for more than 23 years I haven't had a smile, I haven't been normal as all the other people are, and I suffered emotionally, psychologically, physically and socially in a terrible way. I am fixing this problem: not having a smile has been a real torture, trust me when I tell you that.

In this essay, written wonderfully well, in a trip through literature and cinema, anedocts,  religion, beautiful encounters, children and much more you will "meet" a lot of different...smiles and the meaning of smiles in our societies.

A smile is the simplest gesture that our face does, putting in movement eyes, mouth, nose, eyes, forehead, and the entire body: smiling is the emanation of a body, the passport of our soul.

Smiles can be crucials in our existence but also when we pass away.

Coppi and Bartali is an example of the cruciality of a smile. Bartali, more serious and less easy going than the first one, when understood that he would have lost and maybe his time as cyclist was over, simply... smiled.

The second one is the smile left by a dead person.

There was once a clown in a  circus. He really enjoyed to entertain people but once he fell sick; they found someone else for that evening: that guy had had a wonderful success. The clown understood that he wouldn't never had that success, deciding to leave the circus. As a vagabond, during a night in a park, was killed by a police officer because this one thought that was a dangerous criminal: he discovered on his face a beautiful and sunny smile.

But...when we smile? We smile continuously: when we meet someone it is maybe the first thing that we do. We do that at work, in company of friends, in family. Look for example at a vendor, merchant or owner of a store. He/she will always welcome his/her customer with a beautiful smile, inviting him to appreciate first of all who is in front of them and later, their products.

As also writes Le Breton "Dans nos sociétées surtout, sourire est un ingrédient nécessaire aux rites d'entrée ou de sortie d'une interaction, une modalité minimale de consécration de l'autre et de consécration de soi par l'autre" in our societies in particualr, smiling is an indispensible ingredient and a sort of ritual of entrance or vice versa during an interaction, it's a modality of consacration of the other and of consacration of ourselves for the others.

Smiles are different also in several part of the world: in countries less developed than our western world, where there is more poverty, people are immensely happy; they can be elderly, young ones, or adults; they will offer you the best and warmest smiles you have ever seen in this world.

There are also the smiles of criminals: let's remember in Oslo the guy who killed wagons of people: he was happy and cheerful while he did it.

More a person will smile and more will be accepted in the society: when we search for an information, or for a street, if we meet someone joyous and smiling the encounter will be more satisfying. 

Illness changes the face and smile of a person: let's imagine someone who is gradually losing the mental cognitions. The smile will be vague, because he won't never understand why he should smile: why his smile was once important: he has forgotten who had been happy because had received one of his smiles: a person affected by Alzheimer lives in an unrecognizable place where the smile is empty by its most powerful significance: making happy and cheerful other people.

It is terrible the advent of Covid because  we see just the forehead and eyes of our neighbors, colleagues, or friends: covered by masks, smile, teeth, mouth, nose disappear: we are like phantoms and what remains for trying to understand a smile, adds the author, is the voice.

Smile incarnates in an individual all his history whithin a particular context and the description of a smile, writes the author, if we involve muscles and other nervous functions taken in consideration is a kind of autopsy that neutralize the most intimate experience of the individual.

Truth or fakeness in a smile is another important point, like also the intimate difference between smiling and laughing; similars but at the same time pretty different states of... mind. 

Another point of view taken in consideration are smiles in spirituality, in particular the Asiatic ones: Shiva and other gods, remarking the beauty of the wonderful smile of Buddha. It incarnates promise, tranquillity, serenity. 

Laughing for catholics is not beauty: but a smile is appreciated because symbol of spirituality.

Yes: not having a smile as remarks in the final chapter the author, is a real mutilation. 

I want to tell you my experience. 

In my case it happened because a dentist put wrongly a permanent brace when I was 21 years that blocked the right mandibular tendon. I loved to smile, in particular when little. I loved smiling in the american way and I was so sunny in that old pictures, when I was 10 years. I was happy and normal.

Then, when the smile was modified at the age of 12 or so, by a dentist not too competent started the first crucifixion because I couldn't recognize the old Anna Maria that I was. I became serious in pictures taken. The smile was over.

Then I only returned by a dentist when I was 21 years. I wanted to fix my smile, that unfortunately wasn't beauty at all. Then, the blockage and the horror.

Per 23 years I fought, for trying to see how I could resolve this problem, setting myself free. But, strangely I found only closed doors. Per years.

For the rest I took great care of my teeth. Just...I wanted to return to be normal, to see myself normal and to live a normal existence. Sometimes, I am a journalist, I spotted young people sat outside the bar, all happy, and cheerful, when I went at the town council thinking that that destiny wouldn't never being my destiny. "Look, how relaxed and happy they are." They were normals, they could smile, they could interact well with others. I couldn't. 

It was as if I hadn't to be happy. If I hadn't to live a decent life. You can't understand dear reader, what I haven't thought during that generation of deformity. 

It has been psychologically devastating.

Then, something started to change, was it that gentle wind? and I met along my way, years ago a lot of people who wanted to set me free in a way or in another and these good influences helped me a lot. 

One day my mother experienced a problem with her denture, I brought her by her dentist and there, she told him: look how ugly my daughter is on the mouth. I replied that I was taking great care of my teeth just it was impossible to resolve the problem of the blockage of the mandibular tendon. Mr. Giuseppe Camponovo, the dentist said me: But yes! We can do that! We have a specialist of Smile affording here every month. May I take an appointment?

Free? Free? Free? I don't want to lose any other time!!!!! Yessss!!!!!!

Now, when I look at my face, after 13 months of bite, 13 month of permanent brace and another year or more of permanent brace waiting for me, I still live it with incredulity and a state of wonder. I still can't believe that this miracle is happening, and that I can return to see myself as I was once. I am grateful to Valerio Giansiracusa and mr.Camponovo for the work done.

Said that, this book is inspiring and engaging. David Le Breton offers to his reader a powerful, beautiful and sunny, friendly, smiling essay!  

Highly recommended book.

I thank Editions Métailié for the physical copy of Sourise.

Anna Maria Polidori 

 

Les Frères Noirs by Lisa Tetzner and Hannes Binder

 Les Frères Noirs

by Lisa Tetzner and Hannes Binder is a graphic novel for children  on a topic pretty ugly, but that in the past was common: children sold to nasty people for necessity.

Giorgio, we are in 1838 lives in a locality called Verzasca, his village is Sonogno. He helps his parents during the daily works and he is a good kid. One day a man approaches in a bar the father of Giorgio asking him of selling his son.

At first the father of Giorgio is not sure, but then, thinking also at the cost of medicines necessary to his wife for healing, accepts.

Giorgio, so, goes away from his house, his parents, and his normality, reaching with this man Milan where he will start to work as chimneyspeeper. It had to be just for six months, but the story will be different.

The family who gives him hospitality, apart for the daughter of mr. Rossi, sick, is disgusting. Giorgio is not fed up sufficiently, and he doesn't live with dignity. 

The work of chimneyspeeper is terrible: a horrible work for a kid, it alters respiration because lungs are in sufferance, and also, he doesn't receive any decent pay. One day, when he collapses, he will meet a doctor that will help him ... These children, chimneyspeepers have in the while created an association called Les Frères Noirs. Giorgio will become a member of the association and the doctor, when he will discover the real conditions of these children will help them.

Giorgio lives other misadventures thanks to the Rossi's family but then he will escape away, will search again for the doctor, receiving the sufficient help for becoming a new person.

Once grown-ups, with his wife, the sister of Alfredo, I don't want to spoil too much, Giorgio will return in his homeland. He tells to a man that he decided to become teacher because he wants to fight for a best justice.

It's a graphic novel, this one, illustrated powerfully well. Written by Lisa Tetzner, Lisa was also the translator of C.S. Lewis and Narnia; being Jewish she emigrated in Switzerland: dead in 1963 her books still resonates powerfully in our times.

Hannes Binder the illustrator works in Milan and Hamburg.

Highly recommended book.

I thank La Joie de Lire for the physical copy of the book.

Anna Maria Polidori 

Easter with Snowman Paul by Yossi Lapid Illustrated by Joanna Pasek

 Easter with Snowman Paul by Yossi Lapid Illustrated by Joanna Pasek

is a new, tender adventure of the most beloved snowman existing in children's literature! 

Paul, this time, will fight with a jealus hen. The hen is nasting her eggs, when Paul asks her for one of her eggs: after all the egg is not anymore in the nest. Paul would want to try if he can wins a contest, and shares this information with the hen. The hen is thrilled because of it and donates the egg to Paul. Just...It's the kid of the family where Paul lives that is skeptical regarding the Egg Contest. He can't does it! But Paul asks for his help as well and the kid decides of helping him.

Of course the story has a very happy end.

I love illustrations and I love the character of Snowman Paul because tender,extremely friendly and realistically a good example for everyone!

Recommending to you this children's book, I start to wish to all of you a Happy, Peaceful and Joyous Easter!

I thank the author for the copy of the book.

Anna Maria Polidori 

Pierre Senges et Serge Bloch présentent Molière Sa Majesté l'Acteur Lu par Marzorati et interprété par Les Lunaisiens et Les Pages du Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles

Pierre Senges et Serge Bloch présentent Molière Sa Majesté l'Acteur

Lu par Marzorati et interprété par Les Lunaisiens et Les Pages du Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles. An illustrated children's book this one, with a CD included, created for the celebration of the 400th year of the birth of Moliere.  

Children can choose if reading or listening this book, finding in both cases, an extreme joy and excitement.

I suggest to everyone the listening, while the reader will follow the written words of the book. 

This one is a full-immersion in music, words in fact, for celebrating thanks to many enchanting songs the period where Moliere emerged as the most powerful actor and creator of wonderful comedies powerfully still represented, fresh and modern in the theaters of the entire world. 

Once, the grand-father of Jean-Baptiste, real name of Moliere, brought him after a long walk, in the Pont Neuf; recently built, we are at the beginning of 1600, this bridge was the most creative part of Paris, because, there, many many actors, but also acrobats, puppetters enjoyed to entertain people: at first Jean-Baptiste Poquelin didn't understand this world so different from the one he knew very well. 

His grand-father brought him also to a theater, a real theather. Jean-Baptiste was suprised because of the different way of speaking that actors had, with more emphasys, color, if compared to common people: his grand-father reassured him: they are actors and they so, are giving an interpratation with more pathos, of several existential situations portrayed on the stage.

After the first visit with his grand-father, Jean-Baptiste couldn't help himself: he decided to spend every single minute of his free time in company of actors. He did want to spend as much time as possible with his new friends because the house where he lived with his grand-father was big, and old and too sad to him still too little for being confined at home.

Actors  started to appreciate him; he assisted to Scaramouche, an italian comedy learning the show in its enterity: from lines passing through the appreciation for the the beauty that was surrounding actors:  coreography, fancy-dress costumes.  He became close friend in particular with a girl. Soon, Jean-Baptiste creates a song on the monarch, and although the king hasn't still listened to this song, humoristically the rest of the population have, appreciating it a lot.

But...It's a mess because if the king doesn't know that, monsieur Couperose a name that it's a program, has...

So, this guard, with the king decide of putting in jail the first person that they think could potentially be the responsible for the creation of this song...

Jean-Baptiste is so sad for the mess caused to his friends and the creation of a song that, it seems, is upsetting the king.

In the while, Jean-Baptiste decides that he will become an actor; he didn't know that he would have been the biggest actor born in France, but, surely he calls himself with the artistic name of Moliere.

Pierre Senges is a french writer, while Serge Bloch has illustrated  with a special and sophisticated touch the book; thanks to the chorus of Les Lunaisiens Arnaud Marzorati proposes the rediscovery of a certain french song and sonority. 

A beautiful, humurous, and suggestive livre-disc! Pour tout! Les enfants et les adults. 

Highly recommended.

I thank La Joie de Lire for the physical copy of the book.

Anna Maria Polidori 

La Maison des Farfelus by Mikolaj Pa and Gosia Herba translated by Lydia Waleryszak

 Creativity is a wonderful dimension! A creative person, is in fact is someone who, via mind or hands, is in grade to leave a powerful trace in this world.

Creativity is the most powerful resource for communicating to the other ones personal messages thanks to books, paintings, cooking, baking, music and much more.

In every existence is important a touch of creativity. Why? Because creative people are joyous: they can speak openly with their soul, hearts and abilities in every thing they do. 

It's not wrong to add that creative existences are satisfying, plenty and happy. 

For this reason, La Joie de Lire proposes La Maison des Farfelus

by Mikolaj Pa and Gosia Herba translated by Lydia Waleryszak.

In this Polish children's book there is the most powerful celebration  and beauty of being a group creative families living all together (well in different apartments) under the same roof: the one of the magical Maison des Farfelus. Oh! I forgot : farfules is a word meaning eccentrics, wackos.

There is Souriz, a mouse, for starting: he is an important rapper; we discover him while he tries to find his hat; a hilarious moment. 

Family Bonobo are specialiazed in baking, yum! There is a recipe that you can try with your parents! There is who is passionate of birds and their melodious sounds, so that he records their songs.

You will discover someone who cultivate with passion and determination internal plants in an exotic travel in our entire, beautiful world passing through the green thumb!

A family play the most diversified musical instruments and other ones are passionate of coreography and sculpture. 

The families of Maison des Farfelus will always live in harmony, peace and sharing when together their passions, they will create originality and important visions.

Beautiful and sunny illustrations, you will love this children's book.

Mikolaj Pa is a writer and lives in Wroclaw, Polland, like also the illustrator of this book, Gosia Herba.

Highly recommended children's book.

I thank La Joie de Lire for the physical copy of the book.

Anna Maria Polidori 

.

Le Grand Tour Autoportrait de L'Europe par ses écrivains Ouvrage Collectif sous la direction d'Olivier Guez

 Oh, I have always loved to treat the thematic of Le Grand Tour and I reviewed several books on the topic: what was exactly this long trip attended by people of culture, pretty wealthy immediately after their studies and before to start their active existence in the field that they had chosen? Well, a trip including a lot of European countries, done for discovering the beauty of a culture in a special moment of the existence: when there wasn't still a partner, or a family: when young age would have preserved the enchantment of a dream. 

It was a wonderful opportunity and these men thanks, later to their tales, to their books written because inspired by places, and people and parfums and food they tasted during their holiday  have been the first Touristic Office in...Words and the first promoters of new, exciting adventures that deserved to be lived by other people. 

It was thanks to them if later always more people became curious and decided to explore a Continent, the European one, plenty of surprises.

I remember when Marie-Louise one of my correspondents from California afforded here. She told me that it would have been a joke the visit all the European capitals, because, she remarked, Europe is very little.

When I received this book published by Grasset, Le Grand Tour Autoportrait de L'Europe par ses écrivains,

that I wanted to read from several months, the war between Ukraine and Russia, long more than 8 years had known an escalation putting all Europe in an agitated mood. 

No one wanted this war in Ukraine and Russia, not common people for sure. My ukrainian friends are in sufferance also for their Russian friends and relatives; my Russian friend thinks that we hate them because of this war adding that they didn't want this war. No one is hating anyone! I asked to my Russian friend of not hating me because of what it is going on between UE and Russia and sanctions affecting more common people than the wealthy ones. 

No one want to be hated because of the gestures of the government where she lives in, I understood it during these weeks.

And I cried and I cry. I can tell you  that, dear reader, I cried and I cry, because of internal lacerations, because I love my Ukrainian friends and my Russian friend: because all this story is absurd and pretty upsetting: because there is still a rampant pandemic and our governments have wanted this: it is too much. A war is an act of crime but no one is innocent, I am sorry. 

All people and governments involved in this horrible game are profoundly guilty for what it is happening; as it happened in the past. 

Let me just remember what happened in some parts of Italy during the last world war conflict: in our city, Gubbio, a partisan entered in a cafè called  Nafissi or Caterina on  20 june 1944 killing a German officer and leaving another one more dead than alive: they were two Germans officers in peace: there wasn't the exigency of killing. There wasn't the exigency of killing.

Germans started an immediate round up: they captured 80 people: the bishop Beniamino Ubaldi wanted to donate his existence avoiding the departures of that innocents, but Germans wanted more and more blood. They asked to the captured people of digging 40 graves: then they choose once done it, 40 people, setting free the other 40 ones: the chosen people were killed. The person who killed the german officer left the city pretty quickly, in opposite case no sure what would have happened to him as well! without to return anymore.

In Rome same story: partisans put some bombs that killed wagons of Germans: Germans rounded up hundreds of people, more than 300. One of them was a student: the family of that boy discovered that the book where he was studying in, was still open. This ones are Le Fosse Ardeatine, Rome. 

Do we want to speak of Sant'Anna di Stazzema? where  560 innocents souls, including many children were killed? In this case it was a terroristic attack wanted by some german brigades, with the help of italian locals. Innocent people. 

Wars are always cruels! There is never, never an exception to it!

Back to the book: 

This book has been studied and wanted because France is at the moment at the guidance of the European Union. It contains 27 chapters written by 27 writers of every European State included in the Union. 

As said Kundera, Europe is a concentration of differences in an, after all, little space.

French people wouldn't never imagine a deflagration like this one; a new war in Europe, when Macron started the six month of presidency.

A big problem that must be resolved pacifically.

Reading these writings, I focused my attention on States of the East of Europe considering the mess that it is going on there: it is more than obvious that no one has still metabolized the Second World War Conflict. 

No, because it was dishuman and brought internal lacerations not sorted out.

 

Where you can find voices speaking of the Second World War? In every chapter of this book, more or less.

Polland: the writer admits that the last Varsaw was much more beauty than not this one, completely rebuilt after the latest world war conflict: it was completely destroyed during the war. In Roumanie the URSS would have wanted to change their tongue, of latin origin and pretty old, so old that Ovid, during a trip wrote that he could understand them. The writer touches also problematics like historic revisionism and exhile, a thematic this one, treated a lot.

The finnish contributor underlines the list of banned books, and an information much more under control when part of the Russian state. 

Lituanie has three important cities, and the contributor gives a wonderful idea of a state with a suffering past: Vilnius the current capital, where people are poliglots, with several different religions and creeds: Kaunas the so-called "capitale provisoire" had lost many jewish people during the last world war conflict, while Klaipedia is more similar to a Scandinavian city. It's a gem of a portrait that I am sure you'll love very much.

In other States during the last World War conflict was created a ghetto for Jewish people.

The Italian tale focuses on the Manifeste of Ventotene and the character of Ernesto Rossi (and Altiero Spinelli.) Their manifeste was largely known thanks to Ada Rossi, Ursula Hirschmann, Gigliola and Fiorella Spinelli, The writing Pour une Europe Libre et Unie has been released in 1944 and it is considered a founder book on the European Union.

Every tale, and so every European State is rich of considerations, most important events that touched it, written in a sensorial, joyous, thoughtful way, trying to listen to the past,, present problematics of a beauty of a multiform variegated universe as Europe is. 

Highly recommended book.

I thank Grasset for the physical copy of the book.

Anna Maria Polidori