Description
Pinocchio in Venice
Book Summary
In this bold and provocative novel, Robert Coover reimagines Carlo Collodi’s classic tale, taking it into adult and sophisticated literary territory. The reader follows the elderly Professor Pinenut, an aged Pinocchio turned eminent scholar, on his nostalgic return to Venice. There, while attempting to write the final chapter of his work dedicated to the Turquoise-Haired Fairy, he finds himself trapped in a labyrinth of memories, nightmares, and grotesque encounters that will put his flesh, his wood, and his very identity to the test. A masterpiece of postmodern fiction that challenges narrative conventions.
What is it about?
Professor Pinenut, an elderly art expert famous for his escapades in Hollywood, returns to Venice moved by a sudden wave of nostalgia. His goal is to write the final chapter of his definitive work, titled Mamma, dedicated to the Turquoise-Haired Fairy who, long ago, transformed him from a wooden puppet into a boy of flesh and blood. However, what begins as an artistic and sentimental quest turns into a descent into the hells of his own past. In the city of canals, the old academic faces situations that border on the nightmarish, revisiting obsessions, guilts, and transformations that blur the line between reality and fiction, lost childhood, and the present of old age.
Main Themes
- The postmodern reinvention of the classic Pinocchio tale for an adult audience.
- The passage of time, nostalgia, and the confrontation with one's own past.
- Identity and the duality between a wooden essence and the human experience.
- Artistic and literary creation as an obsessive and cathartic process.
- The city of Venice as a dreamlike, decadent, and oppressive setting.
Who is it recommended for?
This work is aimed at adult readers with a taste for experimental and postmodern literature. It is ideal for those seeking a bold and complex reinterpretation of a children's classic, stripped of any sentimentality. It will also be of great interest to those who appreciate the narrative of authors like Italo Calvino, Jorge Luis Borges, or Coover himself, as well as scholars of metafiction and the deconstruction of literary myths.
What this book offers
- A unique reading experience that subverts expectations of a well-known story.
- A deep and disturbing exploration of old age, memory, and identity.
- Rich, witty, and multi-layered prose that rewards re-reading.
- An original vision of Venice, transformed into another character in the plot.
Technical Specifications
- Author: Coover, Robert
- Publisher: Pálido Fuego
- Language: Spanish
- Subject: MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY FICTION, SHORT STORIES, TRAVEL LITERATURE, CHILDREN'S AND YOUNG ADULT FICTION AND REAL STORIES
- Collection: NARRATIVE
- Binding: Hardcover
- Publication Date: October 2015
- Number of pages: 403
- Weight: 500 g
Editorial Review
Pinocchio in Venice is a demanding and fascinating literary proposal that will not leave anyone indifferent. Robert Coover demonstrates an absolute mastery of language and narrative structure to construct an adult fable about the fragility of being. Its main appeal lies in the boldness of taking a childhood icon and subjecting it to a grotesque, melancholic, and deeply human maturity. It is, without a doubt, an essential read for those looking for an intellectual challenge and an out-of-the-ordinary aesthetic experience in literature.