Born Twice - Vintage International

Zusatztext “[S]ubversive! deeply affecting . . . hard to shake.” – The San Francisco Chronicle “[A]rtful . . . . [L]ays bare the . . . stakes in representing the disabled.”— The New York Times Book Review “[C]ompassionate! deeply moral.”— Publishers Weekly Informationen zum Autor Born in Como in 1934, novelist and essayist Giuseppe Pontiggia was editor of Verri and co-editor of L’Almanacco dello Specchio. He is the best-selling and award-winning author of numerous novels and a collection of essays. Born Twice was awarded a Strega Prize, Italy’s most prestigious literary award, in 2001, and is his first major work to appear in English. Klappentext When a breach birth leaves Paulo severely disabled, his father, the articulate, unsentimental Professor Frigerio, struggles to come to terms with his son's condition. Face to face with his own limitations, Frigerio confronts the strange way society around him handles Paolo's handicaps and observes his surprising gifts. In spare, deeply affecting episodes, the professor of language explores the nuanced boundaries between "normal” and "disabled” worlds. A remarkable memoir of fathering, winner of the 2001 Strega Prize, Italy's most prestigious literary honor, Born Twice is noted Italian author Guiseppe Pontiggia's American debut. Sometimes meditative, often humorous, and always probing, Pontiggia's haunting characters linger and resound long after the book is done.Escalators The escalators leading to the third floor rise steeply between a set of descending ones, the steps above us disappear into the overhead lights, and a dense crowd circulates slowly below on the receding walkways. “Do you like it?” I lean forward and ask, my face close to his ear. “Yes,” he replies, without looking back. Gripping the rubber handrail with his left hand, he lets his body lean back into my arms, which he can feel are open behind him. I shift my weight forward to support his. When we reach the top, where the metal steps recede into a dark fissure, he loses his balance and stumbles forward. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you!” I say, reaching out for him. He doesn’t fall. He positions himself on the carpet just beyond the landing, his legs and feet stiff with tension. He takes a few steps. I look around and wipe my brow with my hand. A woman is staring at us coldly. She’s standing next to a yellow beach umbrella that has been planted in a square of sand meant to simulate a beach scene. I stare back at her. I’m tired of people staring. But then she gasps, her hand goes to her mouth, and I hear a heavy thud. It’s Paolo. He’s fallen on his side. He rolled over onto his back, the way they taught him to do at school, but too late. His face is twisted in pain, the palms of his hands flat on the floor. “Are you hurt?” I whisper, crouching down beside him. He shakes his head. I position his feet against mine and pull him up. A small crowd of curious and alarmed onlookers has formed. They retreat to let us by. “Everything’s fine,” I say. I help him along for a few steps. “Do you feel better now?” “Yes.” I point out a nearby stand covered with palm fronds. It’s surrounded by small tropical plants and set against a blue cardboard backdrop. “Do you feel like getting something to drink?” “Yes.” We sit down on benches at a rustic wooden table. A giant plastic shark next to us displays an array of fishing gear in its jaws. I look at its sharp, crooked teeth. I’m exhausted and unhappy. “Do you want a Coke?” I ask. “Yes.” I hold his glass for him while he drinks from it. Then we get up to leave. “Go slowly now. Pay attention,” I say gently. I watch him walk off, reeling like a drunken sailor. No, like a spastic. Suddenly he turns and says in that labored way of his, “If you’re ...

Product details

• Authors: Giuseppe Pontiggia
• Publisher: Vintage USA
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback
• Released: 14.10.2003
• EAN: 9780375727689
• ISBN: 978-0-375-72768-9
• No. of pages: 208
• Dimensions: 132 mm x 203 mm x 13 mm
• Series: Vintage International; Vintage International
• Subject: Fiction > Narrative literature