Alessandro Baricco – författare

A handful of disparate lives converge at a remote seaside inn: a lovelorn professor, a renowned painter, an inscrutable seductress - and a beautiful young girl, fatally ill, brought to the sea by a desperate father's last hope. An intricate web of destinies and associations begins to reveal itself, but it is not until the arrival of a mysterious sailor called Adams that the truth in all its dreamlike beauty and cruelty becomes clear. Alternately playful and profoundly serious, Baricco's novel surges with the hypnotic power of the ocean sea.

An unforgettable fable about the brutality of war – and one girl''s quest for revenge and healing, from the author of the acclaimed international bestseller Silk.When – in an unnamed place and time – Manuel Roca''s enemies hunt him down to kill him, they fail to discover Nina, his youngest child, hidden in a hole beneath his farmhouse floor. After this carnage Tito, one of the murderers, discovers Nina''s trapdoor. Enthralled by the sight of Nina''s perfect innocence, he keeps quiet. By the time she has grown up, Nina''s innocence will have bloomed into something else altogether, and one by one the wartime hunters will become the peacetime hunted. But not until a striking old woman calls upon a familiar old man selling newspapers in town can we know what Nina will ultimately make of her brutal legacy.From the Trade Paperback edition.

The author of the international bestseller Silk now delivers a ravishing and wildly inventive novel about friendship, genius and its discontents, and the redemptive power of narrative. Somewhere in America lives a brilliant boy named Gould, an intellectual guided missile aimed at the Nobel Prize. His only companions are an imaginary giant and an imaginary mute. Improbably—and yet with impeccable logic--he falls into the care of Shatzy Shell, a young woman whose life up till that point has been equally devoid of human connection . Theirs is a relationship of stories and of stories within stories: of Gould’s evolving saga of an underdog boxer and the violent Western that Shatzy has been dictating into a tape recorder since the age of six. Out of these stories, Alessandro Baricco creates a masterpiece of metaphysical pulp fiction that recalls both Scheherazade and Italo Calvino. By turns exhilarating and deeply moving, City is irresistible.

A bold re-imagining of our civilization’s greatest tale of war, from the acclaimed and bestselling author of Silk.In An Iliad, Alessandro Baricco re-creates the siege of Troy through the voices of twenty-one Homeric characters, in the narrative idiom of our modern imagination. From the return of Chryseis to the burial of Hector, we see through human eyes and feel with human hearts the unforgettable events first recounted almost three thousand years ago. Imbuing the stuff of legend with a startling new relevancy and humanity, Baricco gives us The Iliad as we have never known it. His transformative achievement is certain to delight and fascinate all readers of Homer’s indispensable classic.From the Trade Paperback edition.

From one of Italy''s most respected literary voices, a manifesto on the state of global culture and how connectivity is changing the way we experience it. For the gatekeepers of traditional high culture, the rise of young ambitious outsiders has indeed seemed like nothing short of a barbarian invasion. In this concise and powerful manifesto, Alessandro Baricco explores a handful of realms that have been "plundered"-wine, soccer, music, and books-and extrapolates that it is not a case of old values against new but a widespread mutation that we are all part of, leading toward a different way of having experiences and creating meaning.

At the turn of the 20th Century, the great cruise liner Virginia shuttles back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean, transporting passengers from old Europe to the New World. When an abandoned baby is found on board the sailors christen Novecento – 1900. The child is destined to a strange fate. Novecento will never leave the ship as long as he lives, yet he becomes the greatest jazz musician the world would never know. He only knows his music, which has a magical effect on everyone who hears. For six years before World War II, Tim Tooney played trumpet with him and Novecento gave him his story...Adapted for film in The Legend of 1900, this stage adaptation presented as a monologue, is a beautiful piece of theatre.

In 1861 French silkworm merchant Hervé Joncour travels to Japan, where he encounters the mysterious Hara Kei. He develops a painful longing for Kei's beautiful concubine - but they cannot touch; they don't even speak. And he cannot read the note she sends him until he has returned to his own country. But the moment he does, Joncour is enslaved.Subtle, tender and surprising, Silk is an evocative tale of erotic possession.

Without Blood begins with a shocking, visceral act of violence - the assassination of a man and his family. Only the daughter, Nina, survives, thanks to an extraordinary act of mercy by one of the attackers. Nina is just four years old.Decades later Nina hunts down the last of her family's murderers, the man who was her saviour. Their reunion brings about a profound reappraisal of their lives and what took place on that fateful night over half a century earlier.Highly visual and unforgettably sad, Without Blood is a haunting book about damage, longing, memory and forgiveness. Ann Goldstein's superb translation captures Baricco's effortless prose style and gives readers in Britain the opportunity to experience this gem of a novel that has already delighted hundreds of thousands across Europe.

Alessandro Baricco re-creates the siege of Troy through the voices of 21 Homeric characters. Sacrificing none of Homer's panoramic scope, Baricco forgoes Homer's detachment and admits us to realms of subjective experience his predecessor never explored. From the return of Chryseis to the burial of Hector, we see through human eyes and feel with human hearts the unforgettable events first recounted more than 3,000 years ago events arranged not by the whims of the gods in this instance but by the dictates of human nature.With Andromache, Patroclus, Priam, and the rest, we are privy to the ghastly confusion of battle, the clamour of the princely councils, the intimacies of the bedchamber until finally only a blind poet is left to recount secondhand the awful fall of Ilium.Imbuing the stuff of legend with a startlingly new relevancy and humanity, Baricco gives us The Iliad as we have never known it. His transformative achievement is certain to delight and fascinate all the readers of Homer's indispensable classic.

Er ist siebenundzwanzig Jahre alt, als er zur Legende wird. Abel Crow ist der Sheriff einer Kleinstadt und verhindert einen Raubüberfall, indem er mit zwei Pistolen gleichzeitig zwei verschiedene Ziele trifft. Mit einer solchen Präzision hat das noch nie jemand geschafft! Abel ist verliebt in die geheimnisvolle Hallelujah Wood, die ihn ebenfalls liebt, aber immer wieder fortgeht, ohne dass er weiß, wohin. Sie kommt jedes Mal zurück. Abels Mutter hingegen ist Jahre zuvor gegangen und nicht mehr zurückgekehrt. Sie nahm die vier besten Pferde mit und überließ ihn, seine Brüder und seine Schwester ihrem Schicksal. Es ist die Geschichte eines Helden, der sich seiner Vergangenheit stellen muss, während die Zeit alte und auch neue Wunden heilt, und der nebenbei sein Städtchen bewacht und beschützt.

Herbst 1861: Gustave Flaubert schreibt Salammbô, elektrisches Licht ist noch graue Theorie, und Abraham Lincoln führt jenseits des Ozeans einen Krieg, dessen Ende er nie erleben wird. Der Seidenraupenzüchter Hervé Joncour ist zweiunddreißig Jahre alt und lebt im Süden Frankreichs. Da ein Ausbruch der Nosemaseuche die Eier aller europäischen Aufzuchten unbrauchbar gemacht hat, ist seine Existenz gefährdet. In seiner Not macht er sich auf den Weg nach Japan. Dort soll es noch gesunde Seidenraupeneier geben. Und die schönste Seide – als hielte man das Nichts in Händen. In Japan begegnet er einer äußerst geheimnisvollen jungen Frau. Und obwohl ihm kaum mehr als die Erinnerung an verstohlene Blicke bleibt, treibt es ihn fortan jedes Jahr erneut hierher, ans Ende der Welt, immer in der Hoffnung, die Frau wiederzusehen und endlich ihre Stimme zu hören.

Alessandro Barikko — odin iz yarchajshih sovremennyh pisatelej, simvol ital''yanskoj literatury. Ego bestseller "SHelk» vsemirno izvesten i pereveden na desyatki yazykov. EHto roman o lyubvi, trogatel''noj i neveroyatno krasivoj. Istoriya otnoshenij molodogo francuza, ego zheny i gejshi-evropejki ocharovyvaet chitatelya. Izyashchnyj ehrotizm, shchemyashchaya toska i sladkaya nezhnost'', dal''nie puteshestviya, poiski nastoyashchego schast''ya, kotoroe mercaet vdaleke i manit za soboj (a na samom dele ono sovsem ryadom, tol''ko geroj ne vidit ego v pogone za mechtoj!), — vse ehto est'' v romane "SHelk», nezhnoj i volnuyushchej knige o lyubvi...

Gromkim uspekhom Alessandro Barikko, odnogo iz yarchajshih sovremennyh pisatelej, stal predstavlennyj v nastoyashchem izdanii roman "More-okean», udostoennyj premij Viaredzho i "Palacco al'' Bosko». V taverne "Al''majer» na beregu okeana zabavnyj professor sostavlyaet "EHnciklopediyu predelov» (gde konchaetsya more?..), hudozhnik, nekogda uspeshnyj svetskij portretist, "pishet more morem», okunaya kist'' v morskuyu vodu; odna nezhnaya neznakomka priekhala syuda izlechit''sya ot lyubvi, a drugaya — izlechit''sya lyubov''yu... Oni zhivut, budto vperedi u nih vechnost'', i v vozduhe razlity pokoj, otreshennost'', beskonechnaya ustalost'' dushi. Tem sil''nee potryasenie, kogda iz ehtogo kolyshushchegosya volshebnogo mareva vystupaet lomanyj kontur zhiznennoj i zhestokoj istorii: gorstka odichavshih lyudej na plotu posredi okeana — i skol''znuvshij po volnam trup lyubimoj zhenshchiny... Tak velikaya lyubov'' pobezhdaet strah pered zhizn''yu i strah pered smert''yu — no sama pobezhdaetsya zhazhdoj velikoj mesti, potomu chto podlosti net proshcheniya.

Glavnyj personazh novogo romana Alessandro Barikko "Mister Gvin» — pisatel'', prichem ves''ma uspeshnyj. Ego obozhayut chitateli i hvalyat kritiki; knigi, vyshedshie iz-pod ego pera, nemedlenno raskupayutsya. No vot odnazhdy, posle dolgoj progulki po Ridzhents-parku, on prinimaet reshenie: nikogda bol''she ne pisat'' romany. "A chem togda ty budesh'' zanimat''sya?» — nedoumevaet ego literaturnyj agent. — "Pisat'' portrety lyudej. No ne tak, kak ehto delayut hudozhniki». Gvin nameren PISAT'' PORTRETY SLOVAMI, ved'' "kazhdyj chelovek — ehto ne personazh, a osobaya istoriya, i ona zasluzhivaet togo, chtoby ee zapisali». Razumeetsya, dlya stol'' neobychnogo zanyatiya nuzhna osobaya atmosfera, osobyj svet, osobaya muzyka, a glavnoe, model'' dolzhna pozirovat'' bez odezhdy. Nesomnenno, u Barikko i ego alter ego Mistera Gvina voznikla strannaya, bolee togo — bezumnaya ideya. Sledit'' za ee razvitiem bezumno interesno. CHitatelyu ostaetsya lish'' ponyat'', dostatochno li ona bezumna, chtoby okazat''sya istinnoj.Glavnyj personazh novogo romana Alessandro Barikko "Mister Gvin» — pisatel'', prichem ves''ma uspeshnyj. Ego obozhayut chitateli i hvalyat kritiki; knigi, vyshedshie iz-pod ego pera, nemedlenno raskupayutsya. No vot odnazhdy, posle dolgoj progulki po Ridzhents-parku, on prinimaet reshenie: nikogda bol''she ne pisat'' romany. "A chem togda ty budesh'' zanimat''sya?» — nedoumevaet ego literaturnyj agent. — "Pisat'' portrety lyudej. No ne tak, kak ehto delayut hudozhniki». Gvin nameren PISAT'' PORTRETY SLOVAMI, ved'' "kazhdyj chelovek — ehto ne personazh, a osobaya istoriya, i ona zasluzhivaet togo, chtoby ee zapisali». Razumeetsya, dlya stol'' neobychnogo zanyatiya nuzhna osobaya atmosfera, osobyj svet, osobaya muzyka, a glavnoe, model'' dolzhna pozirovat'' bez odezhdy. Nesomnenno, u Barikko i ego alter ego Mistera Gvina voznikla strannaya, bolee togo — bezumnaya ideya. Sledit'' za ee razvitiem bezumno interesno. CHitatelyu ostaetsya lish'' ponyat'', dostatochno li ona bezumna, chtoby okazat''sya istinnoj.

CHitatelyam, ocenivshim prekrasnyj roman Alessandro Barikko "Mister Gvin», budet interesno prochest'' ego novuyu knigu, nazvannuyu "Trizhdy na zare». No ch''yu imenno knigu — Barikko ili zagadochnogo mistera Gvina? Bez poslednego uzh tochno ne oboshlos''! Tri istorii lyubvi, uvidennye i prozhitye v tot mig, kogda noch'' smenyaetsya dnem, kogda t''ma umiraet i nebo ozaryaetsya pervymi luchami solnca. Eshche odna poehma Barikko, trogatel''naya, berushchaya za dushu. Malen''kij shedevr, kotoryj mozhno prochest'' za vecher.

"Zamki gneva» — pervyj roman Alessandro Barikko, s nego nachalas'' istoriya literaturnogo uspekha ehtogo udivitel''nogo pisatelya. Iz "Zamkov gneva» prorastayut takie ego vershinnye proizvedeniya, kak "SHelk», "More-okean», "1900-j. Legenda o pianiste» i dr. Pered nami — metaroman i v to zhe vremya poehma o lyubvi. Zdes'' more udivitel''nyh personazhej: nikogda ne byvshaya zamuzhem vdova, mal''chik "s sinkopirovannym vospriyatiem zhizni», chlen britanskogo parlamenta, pervaya v mire zhertva zheleznodorozhnoj avarii. Edinstvennoe, chto obedinyaet ehkscentrichnyh izobretatelej, avantyuristov, bezumnogo arhitektora, kompozitora-protoavangardista i vsekh prochih, ehto to, chto "v tom, chto oni delali, i v tom, chem oni byli, bylo nechto, tak skazat'', prekrasnoe», kak zamechaet Barikko. "

Ital''yanskij pisatel'' Alessandro Barikko segodnya odin iz interesnejshih romanistov Evropy. Ego izyskannye romany, napominayushchie odnovremenno i pritchi, i trillery, i poehmy v proze, uzhe perevedeny na desyatki yazykov i polozheny v osnovu spektaklej i fil''mov.V nastoyashchem izdanii predstavlen roman "Takaya istoriya», gde istoriya Evropy pervoj poloviny HKH veka pereplelas'' s lichnoj istoriej geroya — huden''kogo mal''chika s zolotoj ten''yu i strannym imenem Poslednij, vyrosshego strastnym avtogonshchikom, vlyublennym v dorogi. Znakomyj izgib trassy viditsya emu v morshchinah na lbu starika, v linii zhenskih plech. Ved'' "ehto ne trassa, a celaya zhizn''», gde tak hochetsya bez rassuzhdenij mchat''sya vpered, no poroj vazhno i umet'' povorachivat''. Mezhdu avtoprobegom Parizh-Madrid 1903 goda i ralli "Mille Mil''ya» 1950-go umestilis'' v romane Pervaya mirovaya vojna i sobytiya chastnoj zhizni geroya — istorii lyubvi, druzhby, predatel''stva, blizosti, otchuzhdeniya... "Tol''ko on i vosemnadcat'' povorotov — kvintehssenciya ego zhizni».

Novechento — 1900-j — ehto ne tol''ko cifra, oboznachayushchaya god. Tak zovut genial''nogo pianista-samouchku, rodivshegosya na bortu okeanskogo lajnera. U nego net ni dokumentov, ni grazhdanstva, ni rodstvennikov, tol''ko imya, dannoe kochegarom, nashedshim rebenka. 1900-j nikogda ne pokidal korablya, nikogda ne stupal na tverduyu zemlyu. V buryu i v shtil'' on ne otryvaetsya ot klavish. Kniga predstavlyaet soboj dramaticheskij monolog, pronizannyj udivitel''noj muzykoj i okeanskim vetrom. Kazhetsya, chto Gospod'' Bog upravlyaet Vselennoj, perebiraya lyudskie sud''by, kak klavishi gromadnogo royalya.

V novom romane Alessandro Barikko «YUnaya Nevesta», kak i v ego znamenitom «1900-m», carit atmosfera nachala HKH veka. My popadaem v dom, gde povsednevnuyu zhizn'' opredelyayut zhestkie pravila: a za personazhami strogo zakrepleny roli: Otec, pol''zuyushchijsya neprerekaemym avtoritetom, vzbalmoshnaya krasavica Mat'', zagadochnaya Doch'', Dyadya, kotoryj lish'' na kratkoe vremya probuzhdaetsya ot besprobudnogo sna. Kazhdoe utro iz Anglii prihodit telegramma ot Syna. Tekst ee neizmenen: «Vse horosho». No YUnaya Nevesta, pribyvshaya iz Argentiny, chtoby vyjti zamuzh za Syna, ponevole narushaet slozhivshiesya ritualy, ved'' ej nevedomo, v kakuyu igru vovlecheno Semejstvo i chto postavleno na kon.