What are we reading lately

[umberto rossi]

In data 29 May 2004, verso le 14:53, Paul Mackin si trovò a scrivere 
su What are we reading lately:

> The prevalence of Umberto's posts in the last few days prompts me to ask
> if anyone besides myself is reading Q by a certain "Luther Blissett?" The
> book is said to have actually been written by four semi-anonymous Italian
> literary types (I've got the translation of course). Even wondered if our
> Umberto might be one of the authors but guess he would have said
> something.

I can write better than them any day of the week, though I admit I am 
not sure I can write a novel that is as funny as theirs! Jokes apart, 
they are a very successful bunch of writers who hide behind that 
collective name. They have written lots of novels, either under the 
LB denomination or as Wu Ming (sometime the members of the collective 
publish individual works, but in order to exploit the popularity of 
the brand name they sign the novel as Wu Ming 5 or Wu Ming 4).

> The novel, which deals with event surrounding the Reformation in Germany
> and Holland, is even longer than Gravity's Rainbow but a very easy read. A
> lot of fun.

One of the members of the LB collective has openly said that his 
model is Emilio Salgari, probably our best adventure novelist. He was 
an Edgar R. Burroughs with a political consciousness and better 
researching abilities. His most famous character, Sandokan, is a 
Malay pirate prince who fights against British colonial domination. 
Salgari wrote no-global stuff well before anybody dreamed of it. He 
worked at the end of the XIX century and committed suicide when he 
was still quite young. LB produce well-researched adventure novel 
with a very fast pace, which hide more or less overt allegories of 
today's political situation. Q, whose title is obviously a hommage to 
TRP, tells the story of the ill-fated Anabaptist revolution in 
Muenster, led by theologian and revolutionary thinker Thomas Muntzer. 
After the revolt has been drown in blood, Muentzer's companions 
escape and live undercover in many parts of 16th-century Europe, 
hunted by this Brock-Vond like secret agent whose name is Q., who 
works for the reactionary Catholic powers (his employer, cardinal 
Carafa, was one of the most sordid figures in Italian history, but 
that's another story). I guess the story should hint at the sad 
destiny of (Italian) left after the Seventies and the Reaganian 
reaction.

Anyway, the LB/Wu Ming collective is Bologna-based and officially 
left-wing, I guess they consider themselves as quasi-Marxist 
intellectuals. I have never had the pleasure to meet them, but I 
guess they are shrewd cultural operators who have found a viable 
formula for commercial success. Sometime I find their anti-
Americanism a bit excessive (see their SF novel Havana Glam), but I 
have to admit their books are good reads... obviously those who think 
Pynchon was a crypto-Reaganite might dislike their stuff.

umberto rossi
___________________

		"A mulatto
		An albino
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