THE BOOKSHELF.

MY PICK OF THE MONTH - A CLASSIC BY CESARE PAVESE.

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A few months ago I was reading an article on Derek Walcott's life, when he was a struggling poet

living in New York city with very little money to his name. In this article, Walcott mentioned how he had found solace in those austere times in The Moon And The Bonfires by Cesare Pavese.

DEREK WALCOTT.

Something about the book's title spoke to me that instance. I bought a copy and read it through a few weeks later.

The Moon And The Bonfire tells the story of an expat returning from America to Italy, after the Second World War, to find that not much has changed in the way of social mobility. Poverty still stalks the Belbo where he grew up as an orphaned farmhand. It is a morbid awakening for the narrator who has made his fortune in America and is thinking of buying a permanent property in his native village. He encourages his childhood friends, now fully grown, to travel, to see the world beyond the Belbo where, perhaps, like him they too might make something of themselves. It is obvious to see why Walcott would have found comfort within these pages, being an indigene of Saint Lucia who has travelled so far away from home in search of his fortune.

CESARE PAVESE.

The novel is 154 pages in length. It is a beautiful portrait of rural Italy, and is Pavese's last novel. The accolade masterpiece is attached to this great work and is well deserved. With Pavese being a poet as well, the language is lyrical, vivid and intense. I promise you will enjoy reading this brilliant novel.

If you have a favourite book, fiction or non-fiction, that you would like featuring on THE BOOKSHELF, please email me at: info@christineroseetawalker.org.

Stay safe.

-CRW.