Italian boy

In the 77 chapters of his Ragazzo italiano, published by Feltrinelli, Gian Arturo Ferrari tells the story of a little boy who grows up in the imaginary Zanegrate, in the rugged Lombard countryside, and in his maternal grandmother’s home in the hills of Emilia, before discovering adolescence in Milan at the time of the economic boom. The novel brings out the disturbing psychological world of his family relationships, especially with his distant, often morose father figure, and the joy of finding out that he himself exists as an autonomous human being and no longer just as a son. The key to his liberation is his bond with books, literature, and writing. The course of Italian history becomes intertwined with private issues, with political passions, with the controversial aspects of modernity, from an initially modest but later secure well-being, illustrating the shortcomings of a public spirit that is unable to understand and guide the changes needed. The story ends on the eve of 1968, when a group of brilliant, erudite students go on a cruise in Greece to discover the beauty of the places of art and the intricacies of falling in love. And of becoming adults. Ragazzo italiano Gian Arturo Ferrari Feltrinelli, 2019