La seduzione dell'altrove by Dacia Maraini (review)

Abstract

thenovel,abouttheadvantages of exile, abouttherelationship between sentiment and brutality, aboutthe decline intheneedfor art. Josipovici argues, rather abstractly ,forthenecessity ofmaintaining contact withreality. Kunderatalks aboutreal people and real issues. Josipovici's bookisbasedonlearning, Kundera's onexperience; Josipovici's onanalysis, Kundera's onsympathetic reflection. We canlisten, perhaps guardedly, toJosipovici; we feelthat we cantalktoKundera, whois not only humane buthuman. Robert Murray Davis University ofOklahoma DaciaMaraini. La seduzionedell'altrove . Milan. Rizzoli. 2010.174pages. €1 7.50. isbn 978-88-1 7-04367-0 Alwayscuriousabout the Other, Dacia Marainiopens La seduzione dell'altrove, a collectionof short pieces,witha meditation on why we leavethecomforts ofourhome totravel. Whyourfascination with things foreign, exotic? Itderives, she suggests, from a "loveofthedifferent ,""theseduction ofelsewhere." Herowndesirefor travel was early instilled by hermother and father whosewanderlust tookhertoJapan whenshewas oneyearold. [Editorialnote : Seeheressay"DearJapan" onpage30ofthisissue.]Onlylater, whenshereturned toItaly - a place she had long thought exotic - did shelearn from Italians that they considered Japan a strange andwonderfulplace .Whatis exotic toone(the outsider)is humdrum to another (theinhabitant). Herdesiretosee thenewand different hasledhertomanycountries , traveling on herownorwith a companion, as she believesone cannotreallysee and understand a country or itspeopleon guided tours. Maraini's reputation asa playwright andherinterest inwomen's theater worldwide alsoallowherto makecontacts mosttravelers cannotenjoy .In accordance withher lifelong concern, sheconcentrates on thelivesofwomen inthis collection. InNairobi sheattended a poetry reading bya women's theater group inSwahili, English, andItalian. This groupalso presented a monologue inEnglish, A Woman Alone, written byDarioFo.Shetalked with, shared experiences with, and observed the customs ofwomenin countries as different as Serbia,Africa, China, Korea, South America, Zurich, Cuba, andtheUnited States. Manyofthese twenty-eight articles arebrief summariesas short as three pages;the most detailed piece recountsin twenty-eight pagesa tripto Kenya with Alberto Moravia. In Kenya,Maraini spoke to womenrefugees from Somaliaand Sudan who had fledmen armed withrifles and clubsandwhonow livedinprimitive campssetup for them.Manyof thesewomenhad been forcedto witnessthe murderoftheir husbands andchildren, onlythentobe gangraped.In any negotiations forpeace,however, it is the"Warlords," as themencall themselves, whoparticipate instead ofthose women whokeeplife going intheareasdevastated bywar. Dacia Maraini'squest forthe exotic leadsherawayfrom familiar homecomforts andhabits intonew and strange worlds;aided by her interest in womeneverywhere, she is rewarded bya network ofmeaningful connections. Martha ]. King Clearwater, Florida Nota Bene Rob Vollmar &Marvin Perry Mann Inattna's Tears Archaia Even though our scholarly textbooks may leave itout, Vollmar andMann bring tolife the tale ofEntika, a young priestess ofthe goddess Inanna inancient Sumerian civilization . The illustrations, somewhat reminiscent of Frank Miller's work, lend themselves well tothe energetic force of the story. Amina Zaydan Red Wine American University in Cairo Press This corriing-of-age narrative set inmodern Egypt tells the inner thoughts and emotions of awoman battling religiosity, nationalism, andgender roles. The narrator hasa commanding voice, andtheprose itself reads like poetry. July -August 201 1179 ...