Casablanca (novella)
Encyclopedia
Casablanca is a novella
written by Edgar Brau
in Nevada
, United States
, in November–December 2002. In the story, set in Buenos Aires Province
, Argentina
, a rich Argentine ranch owner builds a replica of Rick's Café Américain on his estate, with the idea of reproducing in it, by means of doubles, the most important scenes of the movie Casablanca
.
Plot Summary=
Casablanca begins when the narrator, who is driving his car to Mar del Plata
seaside resort, is caught by a big storm. While looking for some shelter he comes across a place similar to Rick's Café Américain. He gets out of the car and, almost blinded by the rain, hurries to the entrance door. Just then somebody starts playing As time goes by
on a piano at the back of the room. The player is identical to Sam, but much older; he is wearing the same suit jacket that is shown in the film, but worn out now. In one of the corners, an old man in dark glasses, who looks like Humphrey Bogart
, is dozing at a table. When the song is over, the black man starts to tell the narrator the story of the place and of the people who lived there.
It all started, he says, in the early fifties, when the owner of those lands, a rich man very similar to Sidney Greenstreet —the actor who interpreted señor Ferrari— decides to build a replica of Rick's café to reproduce in it the main scenes of the movie. With this purpose he sends agents around the country and abroad, to look for people whose physical appearance is identical to the characters. He keeps for himself the role of Señor Ferrari. When the cast is ready, they rehearse for some months; their voices and accents must sound like the English spoken in the original version. To imitate the black-and-white movie, everything in the place is in lighter or darker shades of grey.
When the café is opened, success is enormous. The people who visit it have the feeling they are “inside” the famous movie. Señor Ferrari's dream (“Ferrari” is the name given to the ranch owner in the story) Señor Ferrari's dream of turning the movie Casablanca into reality has come true.
Some years of splendor follow, but an epidemic of hoof-and-mouth disease and an unexpected flood affect Señor Ferrari's property, and he goes bankrupt. He speaks with President Perón
to get a license to play for real money at the roulette wheel and the poker tables (up to that moment people pretended that they were gambling). President Perón —who had visited the place some months before and had an affair with Ilsa (Ferrari's lover) — agrees to it.
The café manages to survive, although far from its past magnificence. Then a military coup overthrows Perón, and the casino is closed. It is a hard blow for Ferrari, who commits suicide. In his will, he states that the café will remain the property of his employees, provided that they never shut it down or put it up for sale.
In the following weeks, they try to do their best to make ends meet, but after a while some of them give up and desert the place. In a few months, the only ones who remain are Rick, Ilsa, Sam, Renault, and Ugarte. To make a living they decide to perform isolated scenes, which are shown to the few tourists who happen to go by.
Time passes, and not only the place deteriorates but the health of its dwellers as well. The moment the narrator arrives, Sam can offer nothing but an account of what happened in that fantastic Casablanca, and introduce Rick and Ilsa, who are much older now (Rick is blind; Ilsa makes a brief appearance, dressed as Ingrid Bergman
in one of the scenes of the movie). In a vase placed near the exit door, visitors leave a few coins.
Meanwhile, the storm has subsided. Sam plays As time goes by once again, to say goodbye now. The narrator gets into his car and, with the feeling that he has witnessed a sequel to the movie that Hollywood never made, leaves the place.
Background=
In 2002 Edgar Brau was invited by the University of Nevada
, Reno
as Visiting Professor and Writer-in-Residence for the Fall 2002-Spring 2003. As Writer-in-Residence he had to write a work of fiction during his stay. He had been considering the possibility of writing a fantastic narration (in the line of his The Poem or The Buddha's Eyes) that would be a tribute to his father's movie-theater, where he had spent his childhood years. As he said:
“I started Casablanca with the idea of writing a fantastic story that would pay tribute to my father's cinema, where I spent my early years. I wanted that cinema, the building itself, to be very much present in the work. But I soon realized that the narration was leading somewhere else, and as one must never go against the way a story unfolds, I decided to put off that homage for another occasion. Later on I will do it, and with a fantastic story, as I said”.
So, the novella developed a realistic tone and it had little to do with that cinema of his childhood. It was written in November–December 2002, in Reno, and corrected in February 2003 at Lake Tahoe
.
Main characters=
Señor Ferrari: A rich Argentine ranch owner, who offers all his possessions to his admired Ingrid Bergman as long as she marries him. His proposal is rejected, so he decides to create his own Casablanca on his estate, and to play the role of Señor Ferrari.
Sam: He is from Uruguay
. He was working as a bellhop at a hotel in the City of Buenos Aires when Señor Ferrari came across him. He's the true narrator in the novella.
Rick: Argentinean, a former high school literature teacher. He's very fond of French authors and given to drinking. When the novella starts he is over eighty years old and blind.
Ilsa: Australian. She earned her living as a trapeze artist at an American circus. On a Brazil
tour she was hired by one of Señor Ferrari's agents to work as Ingrid Bergman's double. Foul mouthed and energetic, she becomes Ferrari's mistress and protégée. In the story, Sam calls her “Elsa”.
Ugarte: Before being hired by Señor Ferrari, he sang tangos at a strip-tease night club in the City of Buenos Aires.
Fortunato: A homeless child adopted by Ilsa and Sam when he was a few months old. In the story he is around ten. Although he does not know the language, he reads French books to Rick.
The Narrator: Nothing is said about his age, physical appearance or profession.
Theme=
The novella Casablanca is a perfect metaphor
of Argentina. In the story, the Argentine Casablanca is a copy of the famous movie; in real life, Argentina was built as a copy of certain European countries, a copy, so to say, that “Europeans in exile” (as Borges defined himself and Argentines) made of a movie entitled “Europe”.
The splendor of the Argentine Casablanca was weakened, at first, by certain natural disasters, and later on by catastrophical political events; the splendor of Argentina, was eroded mainly by those unfortunate political events. Among them (and as a parallel between real life and fiction which Brau's work reflects perfectly), are the military coups that shook the nation in the period 1930-1980.
In the novella, the coup d´état which overthrew President Perón in 1955 was the beginning of the end for Ferrari's fabulous work, for his Casablanca —which had already been “hurt” by the flood and the hoof-and-mouth disease—. In real life, the beginning of the end for that other “Casablanca”, Argentina, took place some years earlier, in 1930 (when José Félix Uriburu
led a military coup against President Hipólito Yrigoyen
), and the signs of decadence were revealed more slowly.
The novella has an open ending. The same thing sometimes happens in real life.
Translation into English=
The translation of Casablanca by Andrea G. Labinger was finalist in 2007 Pen USA Literary Award in the category of Translation
.
External links=
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
written by Edgar Brau
Edgar Brau
- Biography :Edgar Brau was born in Argentina. He engaged in different occupations: he was an actor, a stage director, a painter of icons, a photographer, until he completely devoted himself to writing literature...
in Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, in November–December 2002. In the story, set in Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires Province
The Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, a rich Argentine ranch owner builds a replica of Rick's Café Américain on his estate, with the idea of reproducing in it, by means of doubles, the most important scenes of the movie Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
.
Plot Summary=
Casablanca begins when the narrator, who is driving his car to Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata is an Argentine city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is the second largest city of Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" had apparently the sense of "sea of the Río de la Plata region" or "adjoining sea to the Río de la Plata"...
seaside resort, is caught by a big storm. While looking for some shelter he comes across a place similar to Rick's Café Américain. He gets out of the car and, almost blinded by the rain, hurries to the entrance door. Just then somebody starts playing As time goes by
As Time Goes By
As Time Goes By is a British sitcom that aired on BBC One from 1992 to 2005. Starring Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer, it follows the relationship between two former lovers who meet unexpectedly after not having been in contact for 38 years....
on a piano at the back of the room. The player is identical to Sam, but much older; he is wearing the same suit jacket that is shown in the film, but worn out now. In one of the corners, an old man in dark glasses, who looks like Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
, is dozing at a table. When the song is over, the black man starts to tell the narrator the story of the place and of the people who lived there.
It all started, he says, in the early fifties, when the owner of those lands, a rich man very similar to Sidney Greenstreet —the actor who interpreted señor Ferrari— decides to build a replica of Rick's café to reproduce in it the main scenes of the movie. With this purpose he sends agents around the country and abroad, to look for people whose physical appearance is identical to the characters. He keeps for himself the role of Señor Ferrari. When the cast is ready, they rehearse for some months; their voices and accents must sound like the English spoken in the original version. To imitate the black-and-white movie, everything in the place is in lighter or darker shades of grey.
When the café is opened, success is enormous. The people who visit it have the feeling they are “inside” the famous movie. Señor Ferrari's dream (“Ferrari” is the name given to the ranch owner in the story) Señor Ferrari's dream of turning the movie Casablanca into reality has come true.
Some years of splendor follow, but an epidemic of hoof-and-mouth disease and an unexpected flood affect Señor Ferrari's property, and he goes bankrupt. He speaks with President Perón
Peron
Peron may refer to:People:* Carlos Perón , a Swiss musician, and was a founding member of the band Yello....
to get a license to play for real money at the roulette wheel and the poker tables (up to that moment people pretended that they were gambling). President Perón —who had visited the place some months before and had an affair with Ilsa (Ferrari's lover) — agrees to it.
The café manages to survive, although far from its past magnificence. Then a military coup overthrows Perón, and the casino is closed. It is a hard blow for Ferrari, who commits suicide. In his will, he states that the café will remain the property of his employees, provided that they never shut it down or put it up for sale.
In the following weeks, they try to do their best to make ends meet, but after a while some of them give up and desert the place. In a few months, the only ones who remain are Rick, Ilsa, Sam, Renault, and Ugarte. To make a living they decide to perform isolated scenes, which are shown to the few tourists who happen to go by.
Time passes, and not only the place deteriorates but the health of its dwellers as well. The moment the narrator arrives, Sam can offer nothing but an account of what happened in that fantastic Casablanca, and introduce Rick and Ilsa, who are much older now (Rick is blind; Ilsa makes a brief appearance, dressed as Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films. She won three Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and the Tony Award for Best Actress. She is ranked as the fourth greatest female star of American cinema of all time by the American Film Institute...
in one of the scenes of the movie). In a vase placed near the exit door, visitors leave a few coins.
Meanwhile, the storm has subsided. Sam plays As time goes by once again, to say goodbye now. The narrator gets into his car and, with the feeling that he has witnessed a sequel to the movie that Hollywood never made, leaves the place.
Background=
In 2002 Edgar Brau was invited by the University of Nevada
University of Nevada, Reno
The University of Nevada, Reno , is a teaching and research university established in 1874 and located in Reno, Nevada, USA...
, Reno
Reno
Reno is the fourth most populous city in Nevada, US.Reno may also refer to:-Places:Italy*The Reno River, in Northern ItalyCanada*Reno No...
as Visiting Professor and Writer-in-Residence for the Fall 2002-Spring 2003. As Writer-in-Residence he had to write a work of fiction during his stay. He had been considering the possibility of writing a fantastic narration (in the line of his The Poem or The Buddha's Eyes) that would be a tribute to his father's movie-theater, where he had spent his childhood years. As he said:
“I started Casablanca with the idea of writing a fantastic story that would pay tribute to my father's cinema, where I spent my early years. I wanted that cinema, the building itself, to be very much present in the work. But I soon realized that the narration was leading somewhere else, and as one must never go against the way a story unfolds, I decided to put off that homage for another occasion. Later on I will do it, and with a fantastic story, as I said”.
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of , it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is , making it the USA's second-deepest...
.
Main characters=
Señor Ferrari: A rich Argentine ranch owner, who offers all his possessions to his admired Ingrid Bergman as long as she marries him. His proposal is rejected, so he decides to create his own Casablanca on his estate, and to play the role of Señor Ferrari.
Sam: He is from Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
. He was working as a bellhop at a hotel in the City of Buenos Aires when Señor Ferrari came across him. He's the true narrator in the novella.
Rick: Argentinean, a former high school literature teacher. He's very fond of French authors and given to drinking. When the novella starts he is over eighty years old and blind.
Ilsa: Australian. She earned her living as a trapeze artist at an American circus. On a Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
tour she was hired by one of Señor Ferrari's agents to work as Ingrid Bergman's double. Foul mouthed and energetic, she becomes Ferrari's mistress and protégée. In the story, Sam calls her “Elsa”.
Ugarte: Before being hired by Señor Ferrari, he sang tangos at a strip-tease night club in the City of Buenos Aires.
Fortunato: A homeless child adopted by Ilsa and Sam when he was a few months old. In the story he is around ten. Although he does not know the language, he reads French books to Rick.
The Narrator: Nothing is said about his age, physical appearance or profession.
Theme=
The novella Casablanca is a perfect metaphor
Metaphor
A metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...
of Argentina. In the story, the Argentine Casablanca is a copy of the famous movie; in real life, Argentina was built as a copy of certain European countries, a copy, so to say, that “Europeans in exile” (as Borges defined himself and Argentines) made of a movie entitled “Europe”.
The splendor of the Argentine Casablanca was weakened, at first, by certain natural disasters, and later on by catastrophical political events; the splendor of Argentina, was eroded mainly by those unfortunate political events. Among them (and as a parallel between real life and fiction which Brau's work reflects perfectly), are the military coups that shook the nation in the period 1930-1980.
In the novella, the coup d´état which overthrew President Perón in 1955 was the beginning of the end for Ferrari's fabulous work, for his Casablanca —which had already been “hurt” by the flood and the hoof-and-mouth disease—. In real life, the beginning of the end for that other “Casablanca”, Argentina, took place some years earlier, in 1930 (when José Félix Uriburu
José Félix Uriburu
General José Félix Benito Uriburu y Uriburu was the first de facto President of Argentina, achieved through a military coup, from September 6, 1930 to February 20, 1932.-Biography:...
led a military coup against President Hipólito Yrigoyen
Hipólito Yrigoyen
Juan Hipólito del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Irigoyen Alem was twice President of Argentina . His activism became the prime impetus behind the obtainment of universal suffrage in Argentina in 1912...
), and the signs of decadence were revealed more slowly.
The novella has an open ending. The same thing sometimes happens in real life.
Translation into English=
The translation of Casablanca by Andrea G. Labinger was finalist in 2007 Pen USA Literary Award in the category of Translation
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
.
External links=