Manhattan Transfer: John Dos Passos (Penguin Modern Classics)

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It was particularly striking the way some very tragic events were written without any melodrama and immediately segued into something banal. I enjoyed reading each character’s story but I wasn’t attached to any of them (including NYC) and I found that I had to muddle through and fight back some yawns.

Inoltre, se volete confrontarvi con una scrittura incredibile, se volete essere certi di leggere un autore che ha fatto della costruzione di brani vera e propria arte, anche per questo motivo Manhattan Transfer è da leggere. Manhattan Transfer also suffers a bit from some pacing issues-- a bit stop and go-- and the inclusion of some really unnecessary story arcs, but still, I am a bit surprised how well this story has held up after 30 years. Dos Passos doesn't use the mythical method of Joyce or the detailed symbolism, so this book is considerably less dense.The story mostly revolves around about eight major characters who at some point cross paths, two (arguably three) commit suicide, all are pretty much alcoholic and mostly out of control. Goldweiser's exact profession is unclear, but he seems to be a theatrical agent (although he does not represent Ellen). When aliens abduct New York City, carrying it into space inside a huge dome, the citizens trapped inside must find out why, what they can do to save themselves .

Eppure non dovrebbe essere una sorpresa, visto che fin dalle prime pagine traspare che l'intento di John Dos Passos, nello scrivere questo "Manhattan Transfer", non era affatto quello di raccontare una storia nel senso tradizionale del termine, ma di tracciare l'infernale e meraviglioso ritratto della New York degli anni ruggenti. Next thing you know is Manhattan is located on a sea of grey goo surrounded by other domes containing alien cities. The only problem I remember noticing was that the guy who lost one of his hands at the start of the book died resting his head in his hands.La lecture permet d'éprouver le chaos d'une promenade dans les rues de cette ville tout en compatissant au sort de ses habitants. We just join up with them again for the slide into disillusionment and divorce, and even that is not told in a particularly dramatic way.

However, the conclusion serves up a smooth twist that I never saw coming and is not some logic-defying ending pulled out of thin air. On the one hand, it is highly critical of capitalism and materialism and of the pursuit of wealth which drives the lives of its people. Three gulls wheel above the broken orange-rinds, spoiled cabbage heads that heave between the splintered plank walls, the green waves spume under the round bow as the ferry, skidding on the tide, crashes, gulps the broken water, slides, settles slowly into the slip. New York è uno dei personaggi principali del romanzo, per descriverla lo scrittore ricorre spesso a sensazioni visive, uditive e a sorpresa olfattive.Nel vuoto del suo cervello una parola bifronte tintinnava come una monetina: Successo Sconfitta, Successo Sconfitta. Et ils se concrétisent enfin dans les rebondissement, souvent tirés du chapeau d’une espèce de David Copperfield à la manque, qui ne sait à mon sens pas trop où il va. The author frequently has an angry, alienated voice as he describes the shallowness of the actions of his characters.