De La Fumisterie Intellectuelle by Bertrand Russell.

 What a wonderful, sunny and funny book is De La Fumisterie Intellectuelle

by Bertrand Russell. One of my favorite thinkers, I started to read him during my teeenage age. With great humor, passion and let me add, simplicity, Russell tell to people the state of thinking, in general on superstitions, religion and much more. 

Man needs to be supported by religions, creeds, susperstitions: the man is an animal searching for these things, adds.

Russell takes at first in consideration the Eden, and what the Catholic church thinks of it: if Adam would have continued to eat just ananas and other delicious fruits, leaving alone the apple, we wouldn't have known winter, or summer, but only, religion says, a state of beatitude. 

Our religions thinks also that the body of a person once dead shouldn't be cremated. Why this? To permit a real resurrection to everyone: once burned a body is not anymore... recognizable. But there are a lot of other factors that could decide the end of the world: the story of the Planet: once it will become old enough: the sun, who simply will die bringing in the unknown the Solar System. There are also other things that the Church at the end authorized: the dissection of bodies for medical purposes and the Church still proclaims sex as a big sin: it should be strickly done only for procreation. Tolstoi vice versa thought that more than sex, tobaccos was the cause of a lot of sins; a man, reports the beloved Russian writer, in fact smoked some cigarettes before to commit a murder. 

The story of purity of race is a thematic largely treated: the nazists "read" Jewish people as the ones who had to be exterminated: but also in the USA there is this sort of "supremacy" of white people: if we go in China the skin color more appreciated is the yellow one: and no one, although Americans tried their best with the Q.I. can says that a white man has a best and more functional brain than the one of a black man.

Just few people of wild tribes can be recognized as members of a pure race, because for all the rest, every country is a mixture of people assembled together because of historical facts, and so...Where is it this purity so sacred to racists? 

The number 13 is known in the USA for being, in particular if associated to the friday, an unlucky number bringing dead most of the time or horrible incidents: in hotels the number 13 is avoided. In most cases, affirms Russell, these ones are superstitions: superstitions in grade to keep the man alive, presenting him more certainty regarding his present and maybe future.

There are words revisisted of famous thinkers, plenty of wrong, uncorrect ideas to Russell. 

Women and their conditions is a dear thematic  to the writer who will explain in this trip through history to reconstruct who we were starting with the Greek and where we are at the moment. 

Wonderful book for sure. Little, you'll read it quickly and it will let you smile, because Russell doesn't want to be heavy but wants to let you understand, simply, here, his point of view.

I just adore his way of thinking, because original and free.

Highly recommended.

I thank L'Editions de L'Herne for the physical copy of the book.

Anna Maria Polidori 

 

I Fiori di Monaco by Carolina Pobla

 I Fiori di Monaco by Carolina Pobla is a romance

sets during the last World War and released by Garzanti. The cover is beauty, fresh, romantic and relaxing.

The story starts when Letta, in a torrid spanish afternoon receives the call that Victor is dead. Victor was his brother, or better, her daughters knew that story: but Letta wil confess them that the story of this beloved brother was different.

And here starts, so, the story of Ilse the mother of Letta. Abused by her husband, this poor girl was more happy when pregnant: life donated her six children, leaving her widow pretty soon.

Ilse was part of a rich family, like also her husband. When the war starts she thinks it would be better to leave the house, in the city for her country house, unfortunately occupied by the Germans. In this book Germans are not seen negatively, because they lived in a little town and they didn't use violence. 

Ilse is worried because she knows she won't live in the town and her life will change forever.

Children are more or less all electrified for the new, tiny wooden house where they will spend the summer-time in company of new friends.

Ilse discovers in a german doctor, Dante, an officer, a new love. Dante is married and Ilse at first is blocked emotionally after the terrible experience with her husband...

 

In the town life tends to goes on well but there will be nasty episodes and in particular some characters will create messes. In other cases because of what some characters saw, they will try to fight against injustices paying a high price.

In this atmosphere the arrival of little Victor a Jewish kid

The end of the war, the arrival of Americans in the town, the research of Victor's parents, will create an unusual fresco for a story that, although treats important thematic, is written with great lightness and positivity.

Highly recommended book.

I thank Garzanti for the physical copy of the book.

Anna Maria Polidori 

Gli Asburgo Da Sissi a Zita by Raffaella Ranise

 Gli Asburgo Da Sissi a Zita by Raffaella Ranise

is a new stunning book on one of the most known and beloved european royal families. 

Ranise with the same agility used for the story of the Romanov, analyzes here, the existence of Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Elisabetta,called by everyone Sisi, or as we italians tend to say: Sissi. It's a story pretty tragic. The little girl just 15 years, wasn't ready for a role like the one that she should have played in the rigid austriac court. Grown-up informally and without too much appreciation for books or culture when little, Sissi found a hostile place in the royal palace of Wien: Franz Joseph, simply fell in love for her: it was a love at first sight. Sure, Sissi, as well loved Franz Joseph and Franz Joseph adored her but from the poems she wrote, she talked of lack of freedom at court and the sensation that she was living in a cage in that distant and cold place that she couldn't call home.

Elisabetta and Franz Joseph have had several children although they lost one of them pretty soon. If Sissi sounded electrified by Hunghary with which she experienced a priviledged love, she later lived an existence completely disconnected by Wien, travelling in the world, and, constantly peaceless.

Many terrible deaths surrounded Sissi. The death of Ludwig, her beloved cousin, then the tragic end of Rodolfo, the son who had to become king once his father dead, meant to her a lot in terms of mental stability. She constricted herself to travel much more. At the same time the Emperor had some love-affairs with several ladies, and one of them an actress, Katharina Schratt, appreciated by the Emperess. Sissi loved sport: she followed powerful diets to mantain a beautiful body and wonderful hair. Tall 1,72 her weight was just of 50 kilos.

She died tragically but without any idea that she was dying murdered by a man, an italian, who just wanted to kill a king, a queen or anyway someone of that environment. When he discovered that Sissi was in Ginevra he decided that, simply she would have been the victim. Irony is that Sissi didn't like italians at all, and she was killed by an italian.

To the Emperor, who had just completed a letter to her beloved Sissi, this news meant to him a profound sufferance. The Emperor was a solid man a devoted of work. He lived a long existence.He worked also the last day of his existence, with a pneumonia, high fever, and remembering to the man close to him of calling him at 3 o'clock in the morning because he needed to recuperate what he hadn't been in grade to do the previous day because of weakness and fever. But that night, he died. 1916.

Francesco Ferdinando, the one who had to take his place once Franz Joseph dead or too old, couldn't wait for that moment. Franz Joseph couldn't see Francesco Ferdinando. He didn't like his ideas. The tragic death of Francesco Ferdinando and the wife Sophie, at Sarajevo, in 1914, is moving. The two were arrived that morning and had escaped another  terrorist attack: the fatal one reached Sophie in the belly and Francesco Ferdinando in the throat. Desperate, Francesco Ferdinando cried to his wife: "Please, don't die. Stay alive for our chilldren" adding that what happened wasn't remarkably important, while he was dying. After these tragic events the last Emperor was Carlo with his beloved wife Zita, of italian origin.

Just, they tried all their best: they tried to restore peace, in every possible way and let's put things in this way, they ruined the situation and the Emperor had to go away. Carlo was very sad. In 1919 he had also catched the Spanish flu. He recovered but he didn't live at long. Once, when in exhile one day he went to the nearest town for buying some toys to the children.  He returned sick and thanks to a pneumonia, died.

Zita lived a long life surrounded by many children,one still in her belly when Carlo died and for both of them the Vatican has started a process of beatification, completed in the case of Carlo and still in process for Zita.

Beautiful and touching book. 

Being a fan of Sissi, I appreciated it a lot! 

Highly recommended.

I thank Marsilio for the physical copy of the book.

Anna Maria Polidori 

The Secret Forest Friends by Kyoko Hara and Kazue Takahashi

 The Secret Forest Friends

by Kyoko Hara and Kazue Takahashi is another beautiful adventure lived by  Mayu, that we had previously met in the first children's book of the saga: The Mailbox in the Forest. Let's remember the facts of the first children's book: Mayu during fall goes for some holidays at the house of his grand-parents. Living in a  countryside, close to their house there is a forest. Mayu is powerfully attracted by the forest, and one day she discovers a mailbox. She is so curious! In the middle of a forest. Who can have put it there? 

More: his grandfather explains her the importance of letters. You can read them once received wagons of times, it's an important vehicle to stay in touch with people.

So Mayu, in the first book of the story starts a correspondence with a stranger with a horrible handwriting but, oh! so sweet. At the end of the little book, we discover that the stranger is a little fox called Konta, curious to receive letters, although he is not too good in writing clearly.

In this second chapter, Mayu attends the summer vacation to the house of her grand-parents and she can't wait. She loves them and of course she is also anxious to meet Konta again.She must prepare some schoolwork in particular a research on the flowers and plants discovered in the forest: she stayed in touch with him sending the letter thanks to a bird of the forest who was the special mailman between Mayu and Konta during the time spoent by Mayu in her city's house.

Konta is thrilled to see her again, and Mayu brings him a beautiful hat with his colors.

A misadventure experienced by the little girl will permit to Konta to reach the house of Mayu's grandparents and his grandparent discovers Mayu's secret, this little fox, and a wonderful truth! Konta must be a relative of a little fox with which he loved to spend some time with during his childhood.

Another beautiful chapter where good sentiments, fantasy and understanding of the diversity plays the big role.

Enchanting children's book, very recommended.

I thank Museyon Books for the copy of the book.

Anna Maria Polidori 

Ps: released in hardback this July first 

Kuma-Kuma Chan, The Little Bear by Kazue Takahashi

 Kuma-Kuma Chan,

The Little Bear  by Kazue Takahashi is one of the cutest children's books I have ever seen. At the second edition, the ones portrayed in the children's book are the adventures of Kuma-Kuma Chan, the most adorable bear of all the Earth. I imagine a kid is the narrator: with his/her fertile imagination, he reads the bear in his domesticity, the same one he/she knows very well, buying books and magazines, having breakfast, brushing trees, enjoying to see the sky and its clouds from the roof of his house.

KumaKuma Chan is a happy bear. In peace with himself and the others he simply enjoys every  activity, having at the same time fun; he lives with tenderness and goodness spending great quality-time. He doesn't forget friends; he will deserve some space to write them long letters, having good care of his house and garden at the same time.

Simply super-tender, highly recommended to all the children of this world!

I thank the publishing house for the copy of the book.

Anna Maria Polidori 

555 by Hélène Gestern

 555 by Hélène Gestern

Grand Priz RTL 2022 is an unputtable down book, mysterious, built richly with precious and fascinating descritions. 

The story involves a musician, Domenico Scarlatti who was born in 1685 and was specialized in sonates. He lived various years in Spain as well building good relationship at court. His life was pretty fertile artistically and became famous for his sonates. 

The book is articolated in 13 sections and in every section there are little chapters describing the existences of the five main characters of this book:

Gregory Coblence, cabinet-maker, Giancarlo Albizon an associate, Manig Terzian a musician, Joris De Jonghe, a rich collector, Rodolphe Luzin-Farge, musicologist, biographer of Scarlatti. 

The story starts when it is found somewhere an old partition that could be the one still unknown.

But, one day the sonata disappears. Every single character of this book could have stolen this partition for the most obvious reasons. Old, precious, an unique piece....

A lot of suspects, a lot of possibilities are taken in consideration...At the end of the book, in a long letter, the explanation.

Hélène Gestern is a passionate of stories where everything starts from an old object in great to reveal a past still unknown. Another masterpiece!

Highly recommended book.

I thank L'Arlea for the physical copy of the book.

Anna Maria Polidori 

Journey from St. Peterburg to Moscow by Alexander Radishchev Translated by Andres Kahn and Irina Reyfman

 I have read many book of the Russian Library by Columbia University Press but Journey from St. Peterburg to Moscow

by Alexander Radishchev Translated by Andres Kahn and Irina Reyfman is incredible if you want to think a lot socially, politically trying to reach thanks to the deep thoughts of Alexander the essence of life this book is so recommended dear reader. 

The postal route through St.Peterburg to Moscow is the main protagonist, the best set Alexander could have thought at: why? Because many encounters with different people for social status and experience are more than probable, with the luggage of life that very person brings with him/her: this one is a voyage in the society, exploring social and political problems, virtues and sins of people but also good feelings. 

Every chapter means a new city or town, a new tale, a new story, a new place to discover with great intensity and emotion. 

I think at the chapter where an old father says good-bye to his children wishing them the best and at the same time explaining to them and to the readers what it means to be a parent. A decent parent. Enchanting pages and enchanting words.

Humane nature is complicated: close to the best father of the world that two children could have had, in the following chapter we discover a father, who is burying his son, but that in this case has been the responsible for the failures and illnesses and death of his son, because he poisoned his existence in many different ways, also before his arrival in this world. So putting this new life in danger.

I found interesting the chapter of freedom of press, where Alexander analyzes the various european countries with their own differentiations thanks also to internal or external tumults  and what it means to them freedom of press and so censorship. The author in fact tells that he had signed a petition for a free press.

We find fairy-tales told by third people met along the way: there are several interesting tales: the one of the man and oysters, the one of the vessel but also other stories; in a chapter  the interview with a peasant and their difficult conditions. The peasant and his relationship with the landlord; a chapter is dedicated to poetry: another one to a blind poor man. He donated him a ruble not just some kopecks and that poor man, now old, blind, once a soldier, refused that money. He asked for a scarf, because they spent a cold winter and he didn't have a scarf...

The peasants conditions return often.Why this? Because there was too much difference between the landlord, rich and powerful and the poor peasants. Peasants who were starved, like their own children, and treated without any kind of dignity.

Alexander Radishchev born in 1749 after the publication of this book in 1790 was arrested and sentenced to death: instead of being killed was deported in Siberia. Tsar Paul allowed him to return, Alexander I pardoned him. Alexander killed himself in 1802.

Highly recommended-

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

Anna Maria Polidori