THREE by Valérie Perrin

THREE by Valérie Perrin

Jan 11, 2025 | BOOKS, MUSIC

We had already chatted about Valérie Perrin about her previous book Fresh Water for Flowers. 

I have also read Three thanks to Valeria and her Mum.

As you know, I have a bit of a fixation on three, not by chance on the idea of three sides I imagined my Heron’s formula. 

And on the concept of three this book builds a real apotheosis.

You know I don’t like to reveal too much, but I want to tell you that there was a moment while reading when I felt terribly dumb for not having understood beforehand, so much so that I would have even gone back to look for the exact point where I was so blind.

However, it is no secret that Three by Valérie Perrin tells the story of three friends.

Friendship, the kind that survives suffering, the kind that heals disappointments, the kind that bridges loneliness, but above all Friendship of the kind that comes about quite naturally, because it cannot be otherwise.

Friendship almost as predestination and deeply felt choice at the same time.

Friendship as destiny and Friendship as salvation.

Friendship that lasts a lifetime.

Do you have friends who fit this description?

Or maybe you can describe your idea of Friendship even better.

The three protagonists get to know each other and grow up going through years that I experienced at about the same age myself.

Do your childhood friendships endure stoically under the blows of life or have the paths taken inexorably different directions?

Valérie Perrin very often quotes songs and song lyrics, which as you know I particularly love.

And so I discovered Indochine, which I did not know.

Here you can find a playlist with the songs mentioned in the book.

Another key element in the book is water. 

Even with reference to water, we can find Valérie Perrin’s ‘three’: pool, sea, lake.

A further metaphor for evolution: birth, life, death.

THE ROOM NEXT DOOR

THE ROOM NEXT DOOR

Dec 21, 2024 | ART, ART, MOVIES, CULTURE, CULTURE, MOVIES

The Room Next Door is Pedro Almodòvar’s film that won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

I went to the cinema with Monica thinking I would be moved but actually I got angry.

You can find the review on the blog Matavitatau and incredibly this time Nick was more lenient than me.

Of course: The room next door has a lovely part.

Everything concerned to the visual sphere represents perfection, starting with the colours used in a sublime as well as communicative way

In an interview, set designer Carlota Casado  mentioned Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings among the references.

If you look at her paintings:
Oriental poppies
Ladder to the moon
Jiimson weed white flower

you can get a clear idea of the range of greens that I particularly admired.

The costumes, which we could call outfits, by Bina Daigeler are a riot of colour, style and quality.

Every single detail is meticulous, even I quote: ‘the coffee machines.’

The settings are fabulous: New York at its most magical and a house that represents the perfect blend of architecture and nature.

The set is Casa Szoke, designed by the Aranguren+Gallegos Arquitectos studio  near Madrid, in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, and located on the slopes of Mount Abantos in the forest of La Herrería. 

As if that were not enough, the furniture elements are well-known design pieces and the painting People in the sun by Edward Hopper becomes an integral part of the narrative as well as the visual.

And Almodòvar completes the representation of beauty by quoting James Joyce: The Dead from Dubliners

The snow falling faintly through the universe, and faintly falling, upon all the living and the dead.

The Room Next Door is Pedro Almodòvar’s first English-language film and his intention, I would say successful, was to make it as American as possible.

But then there is the verbose part, let me use the term, the dialogues in my opinion are that much excessive that they break the balance of everything else.

And there are a number of unfinished elements.

I will not go into the profile of the protagonist, nor into the euthanasia issue, because everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

But remaining on the mere portrayal of the illness and the physical and psychological suffering, perhaps because I have unfortunately experienced it from my side, I could not help but get nervous.

An exclusive death.

Real life, however, is quite different.

Did you enjoy it? Did you find the ending unsettling or inspiring?

WIKIPEDIA When the Internet is a matter of life and death

WIKIPEDIA When the Internet is a matter of life and death

Jul 20, 2024 | BOOKS, INTERNET

WIKIPEDIA When the Internet is a matter of life and death.

The Power of Knowledge kills the Knowledge of Power.

A sentence, a play on words, the key to a dream.

Aaron Swarzt’s dream, the dream of those who believe in freedom.

Pietro Ratto in his book Wikipedia When the Internet is a matter of life and death meticulously reconstructs the birth, history and evolution of the online encyclopaedia we all know.

Wikipedia content is added by voluntary users who contribute information that is shared as creative commons.

The idea was born from a dream, and is fuelled by a strong need for freedom.

Wikipedia’s aim is to spread knowledge and make it available to everyone, free of charge and universally.

The Power of Knowledge.

Can the Power of Knowledge really kill the Knowledge of Power?

Power is influence, power is domination.

How far can a dream be magnified?

Pietro Ratto’s valuable investigation reports on all the stages and, above all, all the stories of those who have been dreamers, those who have been creators and those who have been powerful …

The bibliography, or rather the sitography is extensive and very detailed.

In addition, every single link published in the book is available for consultation from the site of Pietro Ratto BoscoCeduo. 

I am particularly grateful for the opportunity to hear Aaron Swartz’s story, which should be shared out of a sense of justice but also of freedom. 

Here is a video from 2007 in which Aaron talks about network communication.

Are you in the habit of consulting Wikipedia?

Have you ever contributed to the writing and publishing of information?

MY OPPONENT PLAYS TENNIS

MY OPPONENT PLAYS TENNIS

Jul 13, 2024 | PENDING COFFEE FOR, PENDING COFFEE FOR

My opponent plays tennis is the prelude to the challenge that Fabrizio Canciani was forced to face.

These days tennis is the focus of media attention and everyone, sport people or not, follows it in some way, but I would like to tell you about this different tennis match.

Fabrizio Canciani is a writer and singer-songwriter, an exponent of that artistic Milan  that always gives a strong sense of belonging and the beauty of that side that retains its characteristic connotation while downplaying its cosmopolitan aspect.

Defined as ‘the cabaret artist lent to the crime novel‘ Fabrizio has staged, among others, the show Murders and songs, which is also a book.

La mia avversaria gioca a tennis

His books published by Todaro Editore  number seven, between 2004 and 2011, and then there are books with other publishers.

To describe Fabrizio in an immediate and effective manner, I will quote the words of introduction to one of his books:
I met Canciani in an underground club, very underground, more underground than club, in short, in the suburbs; where, at a time of great television noise, they were trying their hand at intelligent cabaret. Or not.
He is a good one, even when he writes. I highly recommend reading his detective story.
Or not.
Enzo Jannacci 

La mia avversaria gioca a tennis

Among the songs Fabrizio has written, I cannot fail to mention Nerazzuri siamo noi. 

Fabrizio also sang at the San Siro for the Scudetto celebration in 2007.

La mia avversaria gioca a tennis

Sure he also sung for the double star this year, but not on the pitch.

Because his opponent plays tennis.

Antonius Block, a noble Scandinavian knight, on his return from the Crusades in the Holy Land, finds death waiting for him on the beach. She would like to take him away but the knight decides to challenge her at chess. An unequal challenge, death knows a thousand tricks, he is invincible. He is only trying to buy a little time, just a little time. Just the length of a film: The Seventh Seal by Igmar Bergman.
I wasn’t coming back from any crusade, I detest crusades, even crosswords bore me.
I had my life.
And I liked it. In fact, I was going through a really happy time, which is not so obvious these days.
But one day, on my way home, I too found an adversary waiting for me, to challenge me. Not on the beach, in the kitchen, at dinner.
Death? No, worse, worse. In the meantime, death plays chess, you sit there nice and quiet, you move the pawns, you think about it, you cannot hope for luck but only for ingenuity, and if you sweat it is only because of the tension.
My opponent plays tennis …

Go on reading here. 

La mia avversaria gioca a tennis

THREE MILLION EUROS

THREE MILLION EUROS

Jul 11, 2022 | CHRONICLE

Three million euros is the amount awarded as compensation for the 17 years spent in prison by an innocent man, one would wonder if this is the price of a depredation.

This is what I had written in recounting the Ilaria Alpi affair. 

But now unfortunately a further question must be added: Is three million euros the cause of Hashi Omar Hassan’s death?

According to the thesis bouncing around the various news outlets, the reason for the killing is precisely related to the compensation money.

But the Order of Journalists together with Usigrai and Federazione Nazionale Stampa Italiana, in union with all the associations participating in the #NoiNonArchiviamo campaign, 

have signed a writ of incorporation as offended parties to continue to demand the truth about the death of Ilaria Alpi and Miran Hrovatin.

Let’s take a step back: with the previous story, I had stopped with the compensation for the wrongful imprisonment of Hashi Omar Hassan. To summarize what happened next we can refer directly to his appeal published

on the Facebook page of Chi l’ha visto. 

Hashi Omar Hassan therefore asked for help so that he could find his family in Sweden and Somalia.

In Somalia, however, he found death, a violent death, just as violent was the death of Ilaria and Miran.

A bomb under the seat of his car in Mogadishu blasted him and the silence that like a dusting will fall back on the truth, beginning to cover it again with the blanket of time.

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