Synopses & Reviews
Balding, forty-something Mister Alfio Turrisi, an up-and-coming mafioso in Catania, has the deep pockets that Londons financial world loves. He, in turn, loves Betty, the spoiled young daughter of Turi Pirrotta, a rival Catanian mobster. Alfio and Betty would seem to be the Romeo and Juliet of this poison-pen valentine to Ottavio Cappellanis native Sicily. That is, until we meet another pair of star-crossed lovers: gay theater director Tino Cagnotto and his bored and sexy young
amore, Bobo. Because the way Tino sees it, the real heat in Shakespeares tragedy is between Romeo and Mercutio, not Romeo and Juliet . . . Set in a twenty-first-century Sicily rife with moody aristocrats, vain politicians, inept gangsters, shabby theater actors, and high-tech killers, Cappellanis hilarious second novelpart Tarantino-style operetta, part soap operais also a surprising tribute to the Bard. Balding, forty-something Mister Alfio Turrisi, an up-and-coming mafioso in Catania, has the deep pockets that Londons financial world loves. He, in turn, loves Betty, the spoiled young daughter of Turi Pirrotta, a rival Catanian mobster. Alfio and Betty would seem to be the Romeo and Juliet of this poison-pen valentine to Ottavio Cappellanis native Sicily. That is, until we meet another pair of star-crossed lovers: gay theater director Tino Cagnotto and his bored and sexy young
amore, Bobo. In Tino's opinion, the real heat in Shakespeares tragedy is between Romeo and Mercutio, not Romeo and Juliet. Set in a twenty-first-century Sicily rife with moody aristocrats, vain politicians, inept gangsters, shabby theater actors, and high-tech killers, Cappellanis second novel, written in part like a Tarantino operetta and in part like a soap opera, is also a surprising tribute to the Bard. "Cappellani's voiceably rendered into a Siciliantinged English by Frederika Randallveers between refined exposition and obscenity-littered slang as he delineates a landscape in which ancient traditions, rather than being smothered by the forces of globalization, assimilate them. Indeed, it's in his portrayal of a 21st-century Sicily, where donkey carts share narrow streets with sleek sports cars and everyone owns a cellphone, that Cappellani really hits his stride . . . Although
Sicilian Tragedee abounds in references to Lampedusa's Leopard and allusions to Shakespeare, with whose plays Cappellani displays a formidable intimacy, it's a great early '60s filmPietro Germi's 'Divorce Italian Style,' which is also set in Sicilythat the novel brings most vividly to mind. From the friction between sacrosanct tradition and a changing world, Cappellani, like Germi, generates full-throttle comedy with a bitter edge. It's only after the laughter stops that you smell the gunpowder."
David Leavitt, The New York Times"A Sicilian village stages a murderous version of Shakespeare's romantic tragedy Romeo and Juliet. The Italian author brings to this book a subtler version of the over-the-top style that characterized Who Is Lou Sciortino?. Last time the subject was war; this time it's love in San Giovanni la Punta. 'How true it is that love hits you when you least expect it, and above all, when you're least looking for it,' he writes. Passions burn hottest within two characterswhen they're not busy trying to further their own diabolical interests. Mafia chieftain Alfio Turrisi should be busy with the business of corrupting Catania, but instead the lothario has been struck dumb by Betty Pirrotta, a spoiled model-actress who's also the beloved daughter of Turi Pirrotta, a competitor for the region's petrochemical rights. Simultaneously, flamboyant theater director Tino Cagnotto is intoxicated by Bobo, a thick-witted but handsome young actor who inspires him to stage a reimagined version of Romeo and Juliet. With operatic affairs and the business of violence swirling around it, the production is doomed to failure, but not before it inspires some biting comedy. Cappellani exhibits the same gleeful affection for profane gangsters evident in his debut, but this time his cast includes a bloodthirsty contessa, a crooked culture minister and other rough-hewn players. A fierce, fast and funny take on the Bard."Kirkus Reviews
"Cappellani's second novel, a madcap comedy structured as a three-act play and set in contemporary Sicily, pays homage to Shakespeare and bristles with hilariously vulgar stabs at sex, art and family. Avant-garde theater director Tino Cagnotto produces a version of Romeo and Juliet ripe with crude sexual humor and starring nonclassical actors, including a 60-year-old Romeo. As the city of Catania buzzes about whether Jano Caporeale, the actor playing Romeo, will perform a lewd gesture onstage, rising Mafia kingpin Alfio Turrisi falls in love with the daughter of his rival. But this isn't the tragedy of the Montagues and Capulets; Turi Pirrotta is thrilled at the prospect of having his daughter marry Turrisi. Betty, however, might not be so easily wooed. Tino, meanwhile, has a passionate affair with a much younger man who might even be in love with him. Ineffectual culture commissioners, incompetent mobsters and lovably coldhearted aristocrats add plenty of color . . . the sheer energy and velocity of this merry farce will sweep readers away."Publishers Weekly
Review
"A riotous and affectionate riff on
Romeo and Juliet."--
The Seattle Times "An exuberant crime novel with a plot as twisty, one might say, as a plate of linguini . . . sunny, gleefully farcical . . . a black comic explosion of plots and counterplots, murders and reprisals."--NPRs Fresh Air
"Cappellani exhibits the same gleeful affection for profane gangsters evident in his debut. . . . A fierce, fast, and funny take on the Bard."--Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
Part Tarantino-style operetta, part soap opera, Ottavio Cappellani's hilarious novel takes place in a twenty-first-century Sicily rife with moody aristocrats, vain politicians, inept gangsters, shabby theater actors, and high-tech assassins. Balding, fortyish Alfio Turrisi is a mid-level Mafioso with deep pockets. He's in love with Betty, the spoiled daughter of a rival mobster. Alfio and Betty would seem to be the Romeo and Juliet of this poison-pen valentine to Cappellani's native Sicily. That is, until we meet another pair of star-crossed lovers: the gay theater director Tino Cagnotto and his bored and sexy young
amore, Bobo. Because the way Tino sees it, the real heat in that tragedy is between Romeo and Mercutio, not Romeo and Juliet . . .
Synopsis
Set in a 21st-century Sicily rife with moody aristocrats, vain politicians, inept gangsters, shabby theater actors, and high-tech killers, Cappellani's hilarious second novel--part Tarantino-style operetta, part soap opera--is also a surprising tribute to the Bard.
About the Author
Ottavio Cappellani is the author of the novel Who Is Lou Sciortino? (FSG, 2007). He writes for La Sicilia and several other Italian papers. He lives in Catania, Sicily, where he also fronts a post-punk band and cultivates carob trees and olives.