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Melancholia
Jul. 6th, 2025 01:31 pmBook Review: Within the Walls, by Giorgio Bassani
This short story collection set in Ferrara from the late nineteenth to mid twentieth century is described as "haunting" in the blurb on the back, and it's true. One could politely describe them as atmospheric, but also as fatalistic. Perhaps inevitably, Bassani's characters are often Jewish or engage with the Jewish community at a difficult, and later impossible, time; the author eventually left Italy for America before it became too late. From small fragments Bassani conjures entire lives, generally unhappy ones, whether from birth or changed through circumstance. I liked best, perhaps, the story motivated by a found nineteenth century photograph. They are, perhaps, more like moving portraits than stories, as although not snapshots, they come to an end rather than a conclusion.
This short story collection set in Ferrara from the late nineteenth to mid twentieth century is described as "haunting" in the blurb on the back, and it's true. One could politely describe them as atmospheric, but also as fatalistic. Perhaps inevitably, Bassani's characters are often Jewish or engage with the Jewish community at a difficult, and later impossible, time; the author eventually left Italy for America before it became too late. From small fragments Bassani conjures entire lives, generally unhappy ones, whether from birth or changed through circumstance. I liked best, perhaps, the story motivated by a found nineteenth century photograph. They are, perhaps, more like moving portraits than stories, as although not snapshots, they come to an end rather than a conclusion.