Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
"This is a book with a meaning and a force and a message." --Italo Calvino
"A marvellous writer " --Roberto Saviano
Four days of rain trigger strange events across Naples: ghostly voices are heard and singing coins appear. As a journalist searches for meaning, we follow those enduring the floods. This portrait of a much-mythologized city captivated Italy when it was first published in 1977. Withdrawn at the author's request until his death in 2012, this is its first English publication.
Nicola Pugliese (1944-2012) was born in Milan, but lived almost all his life in Naples. His only novel, Malacqua, was published by Italo Calvino.
Synopsis
After a four-day deluge, Naples is flooded. Buildings collapse, sinkholes appear. Strange events spread across the city: ghostly voices emanate from a medieval castle and five-lire coins begin to play music, but only to ten-year-old children. A melancholy journalist searches for meaning as the narrative takes us into the minds of those who have suffered in the floods.
Despite phenomenal initial success, the novel was withdrawn from publication at the author's request, and not reissued until after his death in 2012. Now translated into English for the first time, Malacqua remains a timely critique and a richly peopled portrait of a much-mythologised city.