Malinverno

The book is rightly compared to Umberto Eco's "The Name of the Rose," Jorge Luis Borges's "The Library of Babel," and the works of Luigi Pirandello. The reader will long remember the unusual name of the hero—Malinverno, created with the same mastery as his favorite characters: Don Quixote, Cyrano de Bergerac, Tréplev, Pinocchio, K checkpoint, and many others. The author focuses on the role of literature in a person's life. It is a unique reading experience that will evoke a multitude of emotions, and the abundance of characters with Russian names speaks of the profound knowledge and special affectionate attitude of the Italian writer towards Russian classical literature. The plot: There are places where the words of novels and poems resonate everywhere, and the names of the inhabitants suggest thoughts of heroes from world literature. The city of Timpamara has become such a place since a paper factory was built here many years ago. In the 1960s, an unnamed grave is discovered in the city cemetery, the mystery of which is destined to be uncovered by the lame librarian and caretaker of the cemetery, Astolfo Malinverno. Like a medieval monk from Umberto Eco's novel, Malinverno is captivated by the stories and mysteries of the Universe. A book lover with a vivid imagination, Astolfo mixes the plots of novels with the fates of his fellow villagers—both living and dead, but most of all he is intrigued by the grave without a name or dates with a photograph of a woman. Over time, he decides to penetrate the mystery of this face. Astolfo names her Emma Ruo, like the heroine from Flaubert's "Madame Bovary." A few months later, he finds a flower in front of Emma's grave. What does it mean? Flowers continue to appear until, a few weeks later, Astolfo sees a woman leaving another flower, and to his surprise, she resembles the image of the mysterious Emma... "Life in Timpamara unfolded as follows: when someone managed to give a kick to its monotonous uniformity, everyone followed their example. Since then, the townspeople believed they were free to put an end to folklore and traditions, and began to give their children the names of paper heroes..." "— Have you ever heard the voice of