Sostiene Pereira (novel)
Encyclopedia
Sostiene Pereira is a novel written by Antonio Tabucchi
in 1994. It follows Pereira, a journalist for the culture column of a small Lisbon
newspaper, as he struggles with his conscience and the restrictions of the fascist regime of Antonio Salazar. Antonio Tabucchi won the prestigious Premio Campiello
, Premio Viareggio
and Premio Scanno in 1994 for this novel. It was adapted into a film, also called Sostiene Pereira
, in 1996.
pointed out, this book was a success in Italy as a symbol of resistance against Silvio Berlusconi
's government.
Antonio Tabucchi
Antonio Tabucchi is an Italian writer and academic who teaches Portuguese language and literature at the University of Siena, Italy....
in 1994. It follows Pereira, a journalist for the culture column of a small Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
newspaper, as he struggles with his conscience and the restrictions of the fascist regime of Antonio Salazar. Antonio Tabucchi won the prestigious Premio Campiello
Premio Campiello
The Premio Campiello is an annual Italian literary prize.A Jury of Literary Experts identifies books published during the year and, in a public hearing, selects five of those as finalists. These books are called il Premio Selezione Campiello...
, Premio Viareggio
Viareggio Prize
The Viareggio Literary Prize is a prestigious Italian literary award, whose first edition was in 1930, and is named after the Tuscan city of Viareggio...
and Premio Scanno in 1994 for this novel. It was adapted into a film, also called Sostiene Pereira
Sostiene Pereira
Sostiene Pereira is a 1996 Italian drama film directed by Roberto Faenza. It is based on Antonio Tabucchi's novel of the same title.Marcello Mastroianni won the David di Donatello as Best Actor.-Plot:...
, in 1996.
Plot
Set in Portugal in the summer of 1938, the novel begins when Pereira reads an essay written by a young man about death. He calls the young man, Monteiro Rossi, to ask him to write "advanced obituaries" about great writers who could die at any moment. Not having ever been much concerned with politics, Pereira's world is turned upside down when he begins to get to know the distracted and leftist youth. The articles he receives from Monteiro Rossi (and pays him for) have a definite leftist slant and are completely unpublishable, but something continues to attract Pereira to him, perhaps the fact that his wife died before he could have children of his own. His visit to a clinic to help his ailing heart puts him in contact with a doctor, with whom he becomes close friends and discusses the doubts he is beginning to have about his isolated and apolitical life. In the end fascist police visit Pereira and beat to death Monteiro Rossi. With the help of a phone call from his doctor friend, Pereira manages to slip an article about the murder and condemning the regime into the newspaper he works for.Influence
As Lawrence VenutiLawrence Venuti
Lawrence Venuti , American translation theorist, translation historian and translator from Italian, French, and Catalan.-Career:...
pointed out, this book was a success in Italy as a symbol of resistance against Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...
's government.