di Sebastiano Vassalli
Summary
Introduction: this is the story of Leo and Michela (Ferrari), who along with the narrator dreamed of changing the world
1. The main protagonists
Leo, a graduate of philosophy. Tall and thin. Bearded with glasses. Dressed in tight velvet jackets ala existentialist philosophers.
Michela, a graduate of languages. Round face. Calm. Likes wearing jumpers that she makes herself.
The couple met at Uni. After a brief and difficult stay with like-minded left-wing students, they moved out on their own.
They work at l'Instituto tecnico industriale "G. Marconi" (upper secondary school), where the narrator met them. Leo taught Italian language and literature, Michela taught English language and literature, the narrator taught technical design. [Oct 1970]
2. l'Instituto tecnico industriale "G. Marconi" di ***
2000 students at the school, almost all boys. Only two girls. About 200 teachers. Leo wanted to "change the world" by speaking at school assemblies against capitalism. Michela preferred to meet with a feminist group, "Pane e rose", which she helped found.
Interlude: Il castigo del bidello Fulgenzio
An incident involving the school's caretaker, Fulgenzio. One night he was attacked and almost killed by some students. According to a note found later, this was because Fulgenzio was a "servant of the masters" and for spying.
3. Narrator takes up architecture
In October 1971, the narrator leaves the school to work as an architect. Around that time he meets his future wife, Alessandra.
He still keeps in touch with Leo (L) and Michela (M), who stay at the school. L and M start thinking about where they want to live - in the city or in the country.
4. "Porte aperte"
From 1971 to early 1972 L and M knew Doctor P, director of the psychiatric hospital. At the time there was a lot of abuse of mental patients. The doctor started "Porte aperte", an organisation of mental patients and "normal people". The doctor believed that rehabilitated mental patients ("ex-matti") were better off living among normal people. L and M are entrusted with the care of Camillo.
5. Leo and Michela get married
In May 1973, while a protest for worker solidarity is being held, L and M get married at the town hall. Narrator and Alessandro are witnesses. Guests include fellow teachers and close relatives. One particular guest, M's cousin Giorgio, is described as a disciple of a new religion: naturalist, pantheist and transcendentalist. Guests make predictions about the future, which will turn out not to be realised.
6. L and M move to the country
In October 1973, L and M move to a place in the country which belonged to L's ancestors. The place had run down, but the new inhabitants renovate it. Narrator helps out as architect, which is his first major professional job. It lasted three years, and helped strengthen the friendship between him and the Ferraris.
It turns out that both L and M are from wealthy families. M had lots of farm land and received rent. L was owner of a building in the city with apartments and shops. He also had other investments. But they remained Marxists.
At times L and the narrator argued over ideals.
7. L'antipedagogia
L had a revelation: to change the world one only had to change the schools, because today's schoolchildren are tomorrow's adults. He makes this his project. He embraces anti-pedagogy.
8. M's approach to anti-pedagogy
In keeping with her nature, M embraces anti-pedagogy but in a more tempered fashion.
L and M want children, but time passes without luck. Meanwhile the narrator and Alessandra have a baby girl.
Giorgio, the Illuminated, moves into L and M's guest house. Others follow. Drugs were part of Giorgio's religion. Eventually he goes to prison for possession of cocaine.
Interlude: Storia di Nina, la ragazza che morì in un cesso
The tragic story of Nina, a young girl who moved in with Giorgio. She was found dead in the toilet of the bus? station, with a needle stuck in her vein.
9. L is suspended and goes on trial
L's scholastic experiment results in most of his students failing. He is suspended for six months. There's a court case, which appears to uphold L's right to teach his own way. But instead, while everyone is on holidays, L is sacked.
10. Villa Michela
The renovation of L and M's house (Villa Michela) is complete.
The narrator opens his own studio, divorces his wife, and moves in with Irene (a lawyer). She leaves him, but then he meets Paola, a girl 30 years younger than him.
Meanwhile L and M seek to adopt a child.
The narrator visits the Ferraris in spring 1979, to find the place full of cats and dogs. Camillo has become the gardener, and there's a maid, Domenica.
L and M become vegetarians, and take up macrobiotica / alternative medicine.
11. The Ferraris visit China
In summer 1979, L and M visit Communist China. They find it a paradise on Earth. They embrace Chines culture, and L thinks of starting an import-export business with offices in Rome and Peking. But the "Chinese" phase turns out being very brief (no reason given?).
In April 1980, L becomes interested in environmental protection, in particular he joins il "Comitato dell'Ente Parco".
12. The Ferraris become environmentalists
L joins many nature and environment protection groups. He founds the local WWF office. The "Ente Parco" campaign continues.
Meanwhile, the protests against the 1981 anti-abortion referendum are describes as the last hurrah for the old student revolutionaries.
13. Marlon arrives
M leaves teaching to look after her animals and pursue her hobbies.
L enters politics, elected to the Lys council.
L, M and Camillo try to frustrate hunters.
L and M finally adopt a son, Marlon, who is six years old. The boy seems nice and intelligent.
14. Pacifism
L and M become pacifists in 1982, and Villa Michela becomes a focal point for pacifists in the region. L organises protests, such as the anti-missile protest in Sicily. They wanted a new world, without arms and wars.
15. L the writer
Writing becomes for L a necessity of life. He writes articles, poetry, books. His political career evolves into the party-political variety, and is even elected to the national parliament where he served for two years.
Two books gets published, and L becomes famous.
L and M adopt a second child, this time a girl from India who they name Aria.
M founds "Donne nella bufera" (women in the storm), an organisation to help victims of violence.
The friendship between L and the narrator becomes strained...
Interlude: Una lite in giardino
L and the narrator have a heated argument in the garden of Villa Michela, over a building project that the narrator is working on
16. The New Politics
A return to individualism and egoism. The class struggle was displaced by a burgeoning middle class. Utopias fell apart, as did political parties. The era of "tangenti" in Italy.
L leaves the council and other public duties for "personal reasons", but remains president of "Ente Parco".
L ends his feud with the narrator, admitting he was wrong. L tells him that they're living in a pivotal moment in history - it was imperative that they work on the two pillars of the new politics: peace and the environment.
17. Illegal immigrants
There were a lot of illegal immigrants living in an abandoned factory, and M (with "Donne nella bufera") became concerned with their plight. M asks the narrator if there's work for one man, who happens to be a building engineer. happensIt appears to N that M and this man were more than just acquaintances - in fact he suspects they were lovers.
Meanwhile L attends environmental conferences, including one in Japan regarding the hole in the ozone layer, and a Greenpeace investigation in Germany regarding nuclear waste.
A Brazilian ex-prostitute takes shelter at Villa Michela. She was in fact a transsexual who wanted to have an operation.
Marlon's scholastic record is turning out to be a failure.
18. The adopted children
An episode worthy of Boccaccio or Chaucer takes place. Marlon and Enrica were found in each others' arms and it became public knowledge. Enrica disappears after this. The narrator gives a recap of the lives of the adopted children.
Marlon becomes a bit of a problem child, whose obsession with sex culminated in the episode with Enrica. He also stole a watch at 15 and crashed a car at 18.
L tried to impress on Marlon his love for nature, to no avail. Eventually he gave up, and turned his attention to raising Aria. Marlon became M's concern.
In contrast, Aria was more receptive to L's teaching techniques. At least initially, Aria was intelligent and even graceful. She was good at school. Eventually, however, Aria caused her own set of problems for L and M. At 15 she fell in love with a much older man. When she is dumped, she slashes her wrists, and fortunately is saved by Domenica and Camillo. After that episode, she is no longer the same, becoming erratic and apathetic.
19. L'antimedicina
The Berlin Wall falls and heralds the end of the Socialist dream.
L and M continue their fight for the planet. They begin to study alternative medicine, "l'antimedicina".
In 1988/9 professor Mastrolido, a noted homeopath, comes to Villa Michele.
20. Gli zingari
In 1990 L becomes editor? of the local newspaper. This was a somewhat surprising choice given it was a moderate, right-leaning paper. Perhaps it was natural that the children of the revolution will become the new leaders.
L also has a local TV program - a talk show. He used it as a vehicle for confronting issues of the times.
Meanwhile the resurgence of the Right shows itself in the battle against the gypsies. A petition to evict the gypsies is sought. L and M counter this by insisting that the solution is to provide assistance to the gypsies. L invites both sides to a debate on TV, but it turns nasty. Despite being robbed by the very people they were trying to help, L and M were not deterred. L declares that he too is a "Zingaro".
21. "Nuova Medicina s.r.l."
M opens a shop, "Il Popolo Verde", promoting herbal remedies?. In partnership with prof. Mastrolido, she founds a company, "Nuova Medicina s.r.l.". The prof receives and treats patients. It is a big success, even in economic terms.
Meanwhile L confesses to the narrator that he is impotent. L seeks medical advice.
Interlude: L'ultimo supermaschio
In which L has an injection that takes impressive effect, leading to an amusing encounter with two prostitutes.
22. Gli albanesi
L and M accept a couple of Albanian refugees at Villa Michela. The couple hold Domenica at knifepoint after a botched robbery at the villa. They demand 100m lire, two loaded handguns and a fast car. The demands are not met, and the couple give themselves up. Domenica quits saying she warned L and M about the Albanians.
Around the same time L and M were thinking more about religion. L often had religious guests on his TV show. Inspired by one particular guest, don Pippo (or Pino), L and M seek to become "human shields" in Iraq during the (first) Gulf War.
However there are more pressing concerns at home though. Doctors asked the local court to have M's shop closed.
23. The Trial of "Il Popolo Verde"
At the trial, the narrator plays a small role as witness for the defence. Prof. Mastrolido however turns on his business partner, calling her a witch. He says he was lured and forced into being her partner.
The court ruled that they were both guilty of all charges. Mastrolido goes to prison, but M is let go given her clean record.
L and M become involved in giving aid to the victims of the war in the Balkans. In particular, L risks his life delivering food and medicine to Bosnians. They also accept refugees (Bosnians, Macedonians, Kosovars, Albanians, Kurds) at their villa.
24. Bosnia
L and M dedicate three or four years to the cause of the Bosnians, organising protests against "ethnic cleansing" and collecting aid money. Environmental and pacifist concerns took a back seat.
L goes to Sarajevo, where he wrote articles for a weekly tabloid about the war. He returns home when the war ends.
Despite what has occurred L and M still good will prevail over evil.
L's 56th birthday reunites them with old friends including former guests and employees. It also introduces Chang Li, a Chinese woman who is living at Villa Michela.
25. Marlon and Aria update
Marlon and Aria, now adults, continue to live with their adoptive parents, with no apparent intention to leave.
Marlon completes his military service and returns home. He becomes a nationalist, opposed to gypsies and refugees among others. He even attacks his parents' guests. He goes out with friends and takes drugs.
Aria, at 20, remained "normal". She didn't resume her studies, but did do a languages course. Her only major flaw results in a long and quite bizarre list of lovers.
Marlon ends up getting arrested, charged with attacking a couple, kidnapping the girls and raping her.
26. Marlon's (First) Trial
Marlon is found guilty of assault on the boy (Matteo), but it appears the girl (Gigliola) was not a victim after all. She was in cahoots with Marlon and Andrea. The kidnapping and rape were fabricated. She and Marlon were lovers.
Marlon and Gigliola became inseparable after the trial.
L and M obsess over their parental mistakes.
It's Paula's (the narrator's girlfriend's) 26th birthday. There's a clash of generations at the party: "What have the oldies achieved?" say the younger ones. The elders counter with labeling the youngies "perennial children".
Meanwhile, the feminist movement appears to have run it's course. Women seem to want to compete with men more than they want to cooperate with other men. M had a TV program too, "Donne nella bufera" (named after her women's group), but it gets cancelled.
27. Murders at Villa Michela
L and M become concerned with abandoned dogs.
L fears he is a failure. He tried to change the world, but feels he has achieved nothing. M confesses she has had similar thought herself. Human beings have deluded her.
Marlon's behaviour drives all the guests away from Villa Michela. Chang Li is the only guest who remains.
L and M didn't expect much from their adoptive children. L confesses to the narrator that he even considers "Ente Parco" to be a failure.
Not long after that meeting, L and M are found dead at their home. Aria is also found dead. The prime suspects: Chang Li and Marlon. Marlon and his girlfriend are arrested at the airport trying to flee to Venezuela.
28. The investigation
Marlon confesses, saying he was under the influence of drugs. However some matters remain unresolved, such as where did he dispose of the gun, and what did he say when he called his girlfriend. He insists Gigliola has nothing to do with the murders, but doubts remain.
Interlude: Una telefonata in Questura
The narrator fears for Chang Li's safety if she is deported, so he calls the police station. A policeman says they've found her to be deaf and dumb, aand illiterate. Her fate will be decided later.
29. The Funeral
The Cathedral at *** was full of people who never had anything to do with the Ferraris when they were alive. Perhaps they attended because it was an "event"? Some "important" people attended (politicians, community leaders, etc), but the narrator watched it on TV.
The narrator goes on to describe the ceremony and the cremation. He concludes by saying there is now a big hole in his life. He responds by vowing to write L and M's story as a tribute to their lives.
30. Visiting Marlon in prison
A few weeks after the murders, the narrator visits Marlon in prison. This is after a request from the investigating judge, who hopes Marlon will open up and confess something.
During the conversation, Marlon accuses his adoptive parents of only wanting their children to be like them, calling them egoists. They didn't love him. The narrator defends his friends, saying L and M were the good and generous people, especially in regard to their adoptive children. He asks him again, why did you kill them?
Marlon maintains that it was under the influence of the drugs, and that he alone is responsible.
Conclusion
The narrator explains that he's limited himself to listing events in roughly the order that they happened, according to his memory. He uses the analogy of the archeologist who uncovers pieces of artifacts. Not so much a creative work, but more an act of recovery or restoration, hence "Archeology of the present".
He concludes by saying "To all those who in every era have spent their whole lives to make a perfect world, and at the cost of suffering and hard work have brought the world to where it is, namely at the edge of the abyss." He shakes his head and repeated: "What idiots!"
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