Paolo Maurensig (26 March 1943 – 29 May 2021) was an Italian
novelist
A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...
, best known for his book ''Canone inverso'' (1996), a complex tale of a violin and its owners.
Biography
Maurensig was born in
Gorizia
Gorizia (; sl, Gorica , colloquially 'old Gorizia' to distinguish it from Nova Gorica; fur, label= Standard Friulian, Gurize, fur, label= Southeastern Friulian, Guriza; vec, label= Bisiacco, Gorisia; german: Görz ; obsolete English ''Gori ...
, northern Italy.
Before becoming a novelist, he worked in a variety of occupations, including as a restorer of antique musical instruments. His first book, ''La variante di Lüneburg'' (''The Lüneburg Variation''), was published after he had turned 50. His second book was ''Canone inverso''. His latest novel available in English translation is ''A Devil Comes to Town'' (2019), a literary parable on narcissism and vainglory, critical of the realities of publishing.
Of ''Canone inverso'', the ''
New York Times Book Review'' said in 1999 that Maurensig's writing, especially the interlocking narratives, recalled German Romantic writers such as
E. T. A. Hoffmann and
Joseph von Eichendorff
Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff (10 March 178826 November 1857) was a German poet, novelist, playwright, literary critic, translator, and anthologist. Eichendorff was one of the major writers and critics of Romanticism.Cf. J. A. Cuddon: ' ...
, and also
Isak Dinesen
Baroness Karen Christenze von Blixen-Finecke (born Dinesen; 17 April 1885 – 7 September 1962) was a Danish author who wrote works in Danish and English. She is also known under her pen names Isak Dinesen, used in English-speaking countrie ...
. Reviewer Jonathan Keates said, "The mournful beauty of this sparely proportioned, soberly recounted story owes much to the sense Maurensig subtly imparts that Jeno's loneliness is a species of infection communicating itself to every other character in the book. Drawing on the artistic techniques of both the 18th and the 19th centuries, he pronounces a gloomy verdict on the various types of human alienation created by the 20th."
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
said that the book had developed a "cult following." The novel was made into a film in 1999 directed by
Ricky Tognazzi
Ricky Tognazzi (born Riccardo Tognazzi; ; 1 May 1955) is an Italian actor and film director. He has appeared in 50 films and television shows since 1963. His film '' The Escort'' was entered into the 1993 Cannes Film Festival.
In 1991, he won ...
starring
Hans Matheson
Hans Matheson (born 7 August 1975) is a Scottish actor and musician. In a wide-ranging film and television career he has taken lead roles in diverse films such as '' Doctor Zhivago'', '' Sherlock Holmes'', '' The Tudors'', '' Tess of the d'Urb ...
and
Mélanie Thierry
Mélanie Thierry is a French actress.
Early life and career
Mélanie Thierry began her career as a model in France, then moved into acting. She began with a series of roles in French productions, and at the age of 17 appeared in the internationa ...
, and with an award-winning score by
Ennio Morricone.
For ''A Devil Comes to Town'', reviewer Alex Preston wrote in the Observer "Paolo Maurensig’s ''A Devil Comes to Town''
World Editions April) blew my mind – think
Yorgos Lanthimos
Georgios "Yorgos" Lanthimos ( el, Γιώργος Λάνθιμος, Giórgos Lánthimos, ; born 23 September 1973) is a Greek film director, film producer, screenwriter, photographer, theatre director and former professional basketball player. Sin ...
directing
The Master and Margarita'' Translated by Anne Milano Appel, it’s a bizarre slice of Alpine magic realism that deserves to be everywhere next year."
Death
Maurensig died on 29 May 2021, aged 78.
Works
*''Il gioco degli dèi'' (''Game of the Gods'', 2021)
*''Il diavolo nel cassetto'' (''A Devil Comes to Town'', 2019)
*''La variante di Lüneburg'' (''
The Lüneburg Variation'', 1993)
*''Canone inverso'' (''Canone Inverso'', 1996)
*''L'ombra e la meridiana ''(1997)
*''Venere lesa'' (1998)
*''Gianni Borta. Gesto, natura, azione'' (1998)
*''L'uomo scarlatto'' (2001)
*''Polietica. Una promessa'' (with
Riccardo Illy, 2003)
*''Il guardiano dei sogni ''(2003)
*''Vukovlad - Il signore dei lupi'' (2006)
*''Gli amanti fiamminghi'' (2008)
*''Theory of shadows a novel'' (2018)
Notes
References
*https://web.archive.org/web/20080905042719/http://www.uni.edu/music/suzuki/library.htm
*https://web.archive.org/web/20070820023258/http://www.wrl.org/bookweb/gabbags.html
External links
*
1943 births
2021 deaths
20th-century Italian novelists
20th-century Italian male writers
21st-century Italian novelists
21st-century Italian male writers
People from Udine
{{Italy-writer-stub