"I Misteri d'Italia"
Dino Buzzati's twilight zone...
It seems to me, fantasy should be as close as possible to journalism.
The right word is not "banalizing", although in fact a little of this
is involved. Rather, I mean that the effectiveness of a fantastic story will
depend on its being told in the most simple and practical terms
Italian author Dino Buzzati is best-known for his existentialist novel
“The Tartar Steppe” and for his short stories which skirt the genres of horror,
fantasy, science-fiction and what we would today call “magical realism”.
Buzzati was also a journalist for Corriere della Sera. In 1965 this newspaper commissioned
him as ‘special correspondent’ to research a series about paranormal phenomena
in Italy. The fantastical was part and parcel of his fiction and he dedicated
himself to this assignment with gusto, traversing the Bel Paese to meet a
motley crew of mediums, visionaries, mystics, witches and folk healers.
In 1978, these pieces, alongside other works by Buzzati in the same
vein, were published in book form as “Misteri d’Italia” or Mysteries of
Italy. They certainly form an intriguing collection. On the one hand, Buzzati
is an involved narrator, personally participating in spiritualist sessions and
exorcisms, and staying up to hunt ghosts in his childhood home. Being the
novelist that he is, he can also conjure a chilling atmosphere or convey a character
with the slightest of means. On the other hand, Buzzati adopts an objective
stance, neither compelling us to believe the otherwordly events he describes
nor dismissing outright the possibility of the existence of the supernatural.
If at all, a trace of scepticism can only be felt in the occasional subtle
irony or burst of dark humour. The words Buzzati reserves for his friend (and
would-be occultist) Beonio Brocchieri could equally be applied to him:
Ha compiuto numerosi viaggi, tenendosi ugualmente lontano dai fanatici
che interpretano ogni fenomeno come rivelazione di potenza sovraumana, quanto
da coloro che vivono nel continuo terrore di "essere fatti fessi" e
cio’ che esce dalle loro possibilita' di razionale comprensione lo eliminano
tout court dicendo che sono tutte ciurmerie.
Reading this collection, one gets the impression that ultimately the
truth or otherwise of the paranormal experiences described is not particularly
relevant. What is more significant is the fact that there are people who choose
to believe in such phenomena. For Buzzati this is intrinsically tied to a way
of life which, even back in the 60s, was already slowly disappearing.
Unsurprisingly, these pieces are shot through with a sense of nostalgia. Italy
as the young Buzzati had known it was succumbing to modernity and its ghosts
were, slowly but surely, being laid to rest.
Buzzati was also a painter. This is his "Il Babau" from 1967 combining his penchant for surreal imagery and weird tales.
"I Misteri d'Italia"
Dino Buzzati's twilight zone...
It seems to me, fantasy should be as close as possible to journalism.
The right word is not "banalizing", although in fact a little of this
is involved. Rather, I mean that the effectiveness of a fantastic story will
depend on its being told in the most simple and practical terms
Italian author Dino Buzzati is best-known for his existentialist novel
“The Tartar Steppe” and for his short stories which skirt the genres of horror,
fantasy, science-fiction and what we would today call “magical realism”.
Buzzati was also a journalist for Corriere della Sera. In 1965 this newspaper commissioned
him as ‘special correspondent’ to research a series about paranormal phenomena
in Italy. The fantastical was part and parcel of his fiction and he dedicated
himself to this assignment with gusto, traversing the Bel Paese to meet a
motley crew of mediums, visionaries, mystics, witches and folk healers.
In 1978, these pieces, alongside other works by Buzzati in the same
vein, were published in book form as “Misteri d’Italia” or Mysteries of
Italy. They certainly form an intriguing collection. On the one hand, Buzzati
is an involved narrator, personally participating in spiritualist sessions and
exorcisms, and staying up to hunt ghosts in his childhood home. Being the
novelist that he is, he can also conjure a chilling atmosphere or convey a character
with the slightest of means. On the other hand, Buzzati adopts an objective
stance, neither compelling us to believe the otherwordly events he describes
nor dismissing outright the possibility of the existence of the supernatural.
If at all, a trace of scepticism can only be felt in the occasional subtle
irony or burst of dark humour. The words Buzzati reserves for his friend (and
would-be occultist) Beonio Brocchieri could equally be applied to him:
Ha compiuto numerosi viaggi, tenendosi ugualmente lontano dai fanatici
che interpretano ogni fenomeno come rivelazione di potenza sovraumana, quanto
da coloro che vivono nel continuo terrore di "essere fatti fessi" e
cio’ che esce dalle loro possibilita' di razionale comprensione lo eliminano
tout court dicendo che sono tutte ciurmerie.
Reading this collection, one gets the impression that ultimately the
truth or otherwise of the paranormal experiences described is not particularly
relevant. What is more significant is the fact that there are people who choose
to believe in such phenomena. For Buzzati this is intrinsically tied to a way
of life which, even back in the 60s, was already slowly disappearing.
Unsurprisingly, these pieces are shot through with a sense of nostalgia. Italy
as the young Buzzati had known it was succumbing to modernity and its ghosts
were, slowly but surely, being laid to rest.
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| Buzzati was also a painter. This is his "Il Babau" from 1967 combining his penchant for surreal imagery and weird tales. |
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